Lessons # 99 and 100
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Humanity’s sinfulness (Rom 3:9-20)
9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17and the way of peace they do not know.”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, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
The message of this section that we have been considering for some time is that Humanity’s sinfulness is universal as attested by the Scripture and specifically supported by some functions of the law. This message, if you recall, is derived from the three assertions of the apostle that summarize our section. The first, that we have considered in detail, is that there is no exception to sinfulness as we already expounded in verse 9. The second that we have been considering is that humanity’s sinfulness is attested by the OT Scripture as the apostle proved by citing various passages in the Scripture as indicated in verses 10 to 18. The third is that humanity’s sinfulness is specifically supported by some functions of the law as he discoursed in verses 19 and 20. Our focus in the last study was on the second assertion of the apostle, specifically on the tenth sentence of what we described as the “second or sixth” quotation of the apostle given in Romans 3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood.” This quotation, as we expounded in our last study, is concerned with violence and murder as that indicate the universal sinfulness of humanity. It is with this we ended with the promise to continue with the apostle’s quotation from the OT Scripture and so we begin with the next sentence.
The eleventh sentence of the “second or sixth” quotation of the apostle is given in Romans 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways. Our use of the expression “second or sixth quotation” is because this sentence is not in Psalm 14 in the Hebrew text, but it is in the Septuagint of the same psalm, that is, Psalm 13, in the copy available to us as reflected in the LES (Lexham English Septuagint). Nonetheless, the sentence we are considering is found in Isaiah 59:7:
Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.
Verse 7 in the Hebrew Text as given in the NIV reads slightly different from the Septuagint of Isaiah 59:7 (LES) that reads:
Their feet run swiftly to evil to pour out blood, and their thoughts are from murder; affliction and misery are in their paths.
The difference is the Hebrew text used the words “ruin and destruction” in the sentence ruin and destruction mark their ways of the Hebrew text while the LES uses the word “affliction and misery” in the sentence affliction and misery are in their paths. Even then, the apostle’s quotation is slightly different from the LES since he wrote ruin and misery mark their ways. The difference between the LES and the quotation we have in the NIV of Romans 3:16 is a matter of translation since the Greek of Romans 3:16 is the same as the reading of the Septuagint of Isaiah 59:7. Nevertheless, there is a difference between the Hebrew text of Isaiah 59:7 and the apostle’s quotation in Romans 3:16. The difference may be that the apostle had a different version of the Septuagint than the one we have or that the Holy Spirit directed him to replace the word “destruction” in the Hebrew text of Isaiah 59:7 with the Greek word that means misery. This difference notwithstanding, the descriptions conveyed in both the Hebrew text and the Septuagint that we have are similar. This aside, if the apostle had a different version of the Septuagint of Psalm 14 of Hebrew text than the one available to us, he would have quoted from the Septuagint of Isaiah 59:7 with a slight modification. If this is the case, we have a sixth source of his quotation in the passage we are studying. If, however, he had the same Septuagint of Psalm 14 of Hebrew text, that is, Psalm 13 in LXX, that we have, the eleventh sentence would have been quoted from the same psalm and that justifies our use of the word “second” to describe the source of his quotation given in Romans 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways. The sentence is concerned with misery and suffering as we may gather by examining the Greek words the apostle used in his quotation ruin and misery mark their ways.
The word “ruin” is translated from a Greek noun (syntrimma) that in the Septuagint may mean “fracture,” that is, “that which is broken or shattered” as it is used in the law of retaliation as stated in Leviticus 24:20:
fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured.
Still in the Septuagint the word may mean “wound” as it is used in the song of praise to Yahweh of the psalmist described in Psalm 147:3:
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
The word appears only once in the Greek NT in our passage of Romans 3:16 with the sense of “ruin,” that is, “an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction.”
The word “misery” is translated from a Greek noun (talaipōria) that means “wretchedness, distress, trouble, misery.” The word appears only twice in the NT. In its other usage, it is used to describe the misery that was coming to the wealthy who do not conduct their lives in accordance with God’s word as stated in James 5:1:
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.
In our passage of Romans 3:16, it is used in the sense of “misery,” that is, “a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune.”
Ruin and misery describe the state or condition that is associated with those in the quotation of the apostle in Romans 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways. There is no verb in the Greek since literally the Greek reads ruin and misery in their ways. This is because the apostle used a Greek preposition (en) that has various usages. For example, it may be translated “in” as a marker of close association and so may be translated “under the control of, under the influence of, in close association with.” In our passage of Romans 3:16, the apostle used it as a marker of state or condition of those described or to characterize those mentioned. In effect, the apostle conveyed that ruin and misery characterize the conduct or life of those in view as in the phrase their ways. The word “way” is translated from a Greek noun (hodos) that may mean “way, road, highway,” that is, a way for traveling or moving from one place to another as it is used regarding the travelling together of Philip, the evangelist, and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:36:
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”
The word may mean “journey, trip, way” in the sense of the action of traveling as the word is used to describe the action of traveling of Paul to Damascus before his conversion when following it, Barnabas introduced him to the apostles, as we read in Acts 9:27:
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
The word may mean “the way, the Christian way of life,” as it is used to describe the whole way of life from a moral and spiritual viewpoint in the most comprehensive sense, and specifically of teaching and manner of life relating to Jesus Christ. This is the sense in which the word is used by Apostle Paul in his defense before Governor Felix in Acts 24:14:
However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,
The word may mean “way, way of life,” that is, the course of behavior as it is used to describe the danger of living a life of righteousness in Christ as a Christian and then to walk away from it, according to 2 Peter 2:21:
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
In our passage of Romans 3:16, the word has the sense of “conduct,” that is, a course of conduct.
The apostle’s quotation implies that the conduct of those in view in the quotation of Romans 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways result in ruin and misery. Before we comment further on this sentence, we should note those the apostle described in the pronoun “their” in his quotation. If the apostle quoted from the Septuagint of Psalm 14 (LXX 13) that we have, he would be describing those who deny the existence of God. However, if the apostle quoted from Isaiah 59:7, the context indicates that those whose conduct is characterized by ruin and misery are evil people. Either way, the apostle would be describing unregenerate humanity in general.
Ruin and misery are associated with sin. Human activities bring ruin to others and on themselves through sin. Israel’s sin of idolatry resulted in their crops being ruined by their enemies as we may gather from Judges 6:3–4:
3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.
People ruin others through flattery as conveyed in Proverbs 26:28:
A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
When a person flatters another that could lead the one flattered to believe what is not true and that may cause serious damage to the person either immediately or later. It is not only that people ruin others by their activities, but they can also ruin themselves by their lust for wealth as the Holy Spirit communicated through Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:9:
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
We stated that humans through their activities ruin others or themselves but ultimately it is God that brings ruin on humans because of sin. Moses warned Israel that if they did not keep to the terms of their covenant with Yahweh that He would bring ruin on them as recorded in Deuteronomy 28:63:
Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.
Later in the history of Israel, God reminded them that He began ruining them because of their sins as stated in Micah 6:13:
Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins.
So, there is no doubt that sin draws God’s judgment that may be described as ruin. Humans are sinful and since sin is associated with ruin, it should not be difficult to accept that ruin Apostle Paul mentioned in his quotation in Romans 3:16 supports the point that humans are universally sinful. Our sins bring ruin to others and to ourselves. Furthermore, misery is also that which results from human activities, such as oppression. Yahweh informed Moses that He had seen the misery of Israel in Egypt as recorded in Exodus 3:7:
The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
The misery of Israel was the result of oppression by the Egyptians, so it is not difficult to conceive that it is human sin that brings misery. The point is that when Apostle Paul quoted Romans 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways, that supports the assertion about the universality of human sinfulness. This brings us to the next sentence in the apostle’s quotation.
The twelfth sentence of the “second or sixth” quotation of the apostle is given in Romans 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know. Again, our use of the expression “second or sixth quotation” is because this sentence is not in Psalm 14 in the Hebrew text, but it is in the Septuagint of the same psalm, that is, Psalm 13, in the copy available to us as reflected in the LES (Lexham English Septuagint). Nonetheless, the sentence we are considering is found in Isaiah 59:8:
The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace.
Verse 8 in the Hebrew Text as given in the NIV reads slightly different from the Septuagint of Isaiah 59:8 (LES) that reads:
And they do not know the way of peace, and there is no judgment in their ways, for their paths through which they travel are crooked, and they do know not peace.
The slight difference between the Hebrew text and the LES is of no significance; besides, there is no difference between the Hebrew text and the Septuagint in the portion of the passage that the apostle quoted. His quotation in Romans 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know is concerned with peace. The word “way” is translated from the same Greek word (hodos) used in Romans 3:16 that we indicated has the sense of “conduct,” that is, a course of conduct. In verse 17, the sense of the word is that of “way of life”.
The word “peace” is translated from a Greek noun (eirēnē) that may mean “harmony in personal relationships, tranquility”, as that was what the Holy Spirit intended for believers as per His instruction through Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:3:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
The word may mean “freedom from worry” as it is used in describing one of the various facets of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
The Greek word translated “peace” may also mean a state of well-being and so means “welfare, health.” In our passage of Romans 3:17, the word means “peace” in the sense of “harmonious relations and freedom from disputes.” This is what the apostle meant in the use of the word “peace” in the sentence of Romans 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know.
The word “know” is translated from a Greek verb (ginōskō) that may mean to arrive at a knowledge of someone or something, hence “to know, know about, make acquaintance of.” Thus, it may be used to arrive at understanding of truth, as it is with this meaning that the word is used in Jesus’ declaration of a person being set free by knowledge of truth in John 8:32:
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
In the same meaning, it can refer “to arrive at the knowledge or even be acquainted with someone” as it is used by Apostle Paul regarding Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:16:
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
The translators of the NIV used the meaning “to regard” in translating our Greek word here since, for example, the sentence we once regarded Christ is more literally, we have known Christ. The word may mean to acquire information through some means and so means “to learn (of), to ascertain, to find out.” Thus, it is in the sense of to find out something that our Greek word is used to describe Apostle Paul’s desire to learn about the faith of believers in Thessalonica, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 3:5:
For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.
The word may mean to grasp the significance or meaning of something and so means “to understand, comprehend” as it is used to indicate the disciples of the Lord Jesus did not comprehend what He said to them about His coming death on the cross and resurrection when they were on their way to Jerusalem as reported by Luke in Luke 18:34:
The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
Of course, it is in this meaning of grasping the significance of something that our Greek word was used in the apostolic prayer of Paul for Ephesians to comprehend Christ’s love for them although our word is translated “know” in Ephesians 3:19:
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
The word may mean to be aware of something, that is, “to perceive, notice, realize”, as it is used to describe that the woman Jesus healed of her bleeding, realized, or perceived it, as recorded in Mark 5:29:
Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
The sentence she felt is more literally she knew, that is, she realized or perceived that she had been healed because her bleeding stopped. The word may mean “to acknowledge, recognize” as it is used in Galatians 4:9:
But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
Although the NIV translated our Greek word with “know” twice but the sense of the Greek word in this passage is that of “to acknowledge.” Thus, the clause now that you know God is translated in the NEB as now that you do acknowledge God. In our passage of Romans 3:17, the word is used in the sense of “to know (experientially),” that is, “to know or have knowledge about (someone or something); normally as acquired through observation or the senses.”
We have considered the Greek words the apostle used in our passage of study, so the question is what does the apostle mean when he wrote in Romans 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know? He meant that humans do not experience a way of life that is characterized by harmonious relations and freedom from disputes and stress. You see, there is no country today where its people are in harmonious relations and with absence of disputes and stress. The point is that humans do not experience a way of life that is characterized by harmonious relations and freedom from disputes and stress. This we can understand because the apostle quoted from the OT where the word “peace” is translated from a Hebrew word (šālôm) with a wide range of meaning such as safety, calmness, absence of stress or strife, health, harmony, and an inner sense of well-being. Humans in unregenerate state could not be said to experience the life described by the Hebrew word (šālôm). In the context, the focus is harmony with fellow human beings and that of personal tranquility of soul but ultimately the harmony is with God. That aside, the apostle’s quotation supports the universality of humans’ sinfulness. It is impossible for anyone that does not know God or that is spiritually dead to be in harmonious relations and be free from disputes with other humans. This fact is conveyed by God to Prophet Isaiah in what he wrote in Isaiah 57:21:
“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
We insist that natural human cannot experience peace in the way we explained the word because it is that which God grants to those in right relationship with Him. Prophet Isaiah stated this fact in Isaiah 26:3:
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
That God grants peace is implied in the promise to Israel of the blessing of peace to them if they kept the terms of His covenant with them as recorded in Leviticus 26:6:
“‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country.
The personal inner peace or tranquility in the soul that comes to a person is certainly related to God’s word. Thus, Eliphaz while addressing Job asserted that peace comes through submission to God in Job 22:21:
“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.
The word “submit” is translated from a Hebrew word (sāḵǎn) that has been translated in different ways in our English versions. For example, the ESV used the meaning “agree” and the NET used the meaning “reconcile” that are good ways to translate the Hebrew word that in the Hebrew form (Hiphil) used may mean to “get along well” or “be familiar with.” In either meaning, there is the sense of submitting to God’s word. Many wives are unhappy and restless because they do not want to submit to their husbands in keeping with God’s word and so peace eludes them. The fact is that it is as a person responds properly to the word of God that such a person could enjoy inner peace or tranquility of soul that entails freedom from worry, stress, and strife. The psalmist realized this truth that he conveyed that those who delight in God’s word in the sense of hearing and obeying it are those who have peace or tranquility of the soul as he stated in Psalm 119:165:
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
It is the same fact that is conveyed when Yahweh communicated to Israel that what happened to them would not have taken place if they had obeyed Him. They would have enjoyed unparalleled peace as recorded in Isaiah 48:18:
If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Anyhow, peace can only be found in association with God. So, the Lord Jesus conveyed that peace is not found in things of this life but in Him as He declared in John 16:33:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Although we have indicated that peace is associated with God, it is only if a person is in right relationship with God can there be harmony between the person and God. Thus, Apostle Paul, later in this epistle to the Romans, indicated that such harmony or peace can only be had through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as he penned in Romans 5:1:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In any event, since no human can truly have internal peace or harmony with others and with God without faith in Christ and living in obedience to God’s word, the apostle’s quotation of Romans 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know supports that assertion of the universal sinfulness of humanity. We should emphasize that peace as we have explained it in verse 17 is primarily concerned with harmonious relationship among humans and in personal tranquility of the soul although there is implied lack of harmony with God. This brings us to the last sentence of Apostle Paul’s quotation.
The thirteenth sentence of the “second or seventh” quotation of the apostle is given in Romans 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. Our use of the expression “second or seventh quotation” is because this sentence is not in Psalm 14 in the Hebrew text, but it is in the Septuagint of the same psalm, that is, Psalm 13, in the copy available to us as reflected in the LES (Lexham English Septuagint). Nonetheless, the sentence we are considering is found in Psalm 36:1:
An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
There is a slight difference between the quotation in Romans 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes and the Hebrew text and also that of the Septuagint. The LES translated from the Septuagint of Psalm 35:2 that is available to us reads:
The lawless one, to sin, says in himself that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
The difference we are concerned about is the part of verse that is quoted by Apostle Paul. The difference is that the quotation of the apostle used the phrase that reads before their eyes while both the Hebrew text and the Septuagint read before his eyes. So, the apostle used the plural “their” while the Hebrew text and the Septuagint used the singular “his.” There are two possible explanations for this difference. The apostle could have had a version of the Septuagint that is not available to us or if he had the same version of the Septuagint we have, he was guided by the Holy Spirit to use the plural because of the context demands for him to use plural to generalize this quotation to all humans. Of course, the apostle’s use of the plural is also supported by the fact that the pronoun “his” in Psalm 36:1 refers to the “wicked,” a word that is translated from a Hebrew word (rāšāʿ) that also refers to an unrighteous person where the focus is on the guilt of violating divine standard. However, in some context the phrase the wicked although singular could refer to a class of persons who are evil with focus on the guilt of violating divine standard as that is the way the singular phrase is used when Abraham pleaded for Yahweh not to destroy the righteous with the wicked in Genesis 18:25:
Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
It is true that the phrase the wicked is singular in the Hebrew text, but Abraham meant more than one person and so he was concerned with a class. This notwithstanding, if the apostle had a different version of the Septuagint of Psalm 14 of Hebrew text than the one available to us, he would have quoted from the Septuagint of Psalm 35:2 with a slight modification. If this is the case, we have a seventh source of his quotation in the passage we are studying. If, however, he had the same Septuagint of Psalm 14 of Hebrew text, that is, Psalm 13 in LXX, that we have, the thirteenth sentence would have been quoted from the same psalm and that justifies our use of the word “second” to describe the source of his quotation given in Romans 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. The sentence is concerned with lack of reverence for God.
The word “fear” is translated from a Greek noun (phobos) that may mean “terror” as it is used to describe what a ruling authority does not represent for those who obey the law in Romans 13:3:
For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
The Greek word may mean “intimidation” as it is used to encourage believers not to be intimidated because of suffering for righteousness in 1 Peter 3:14:
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”
The command Do not fear what they fear may alternatively be translated do not be intimidated by their intimidation. The Greek word may mean “fear, alarm, fright” as it is used for Apostle Paul’s commendation of the Corinthians regarding how they treated Titus in 2 Corinthians 7:15:
And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling.
The Greek word when used in relation to God means “reverence,” as in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through the apostle in 2 Corinthians 7:1:
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
When it is used in relation to humans, especially one in authority, it means “respect” as the apostle used the word in the instruction of the attitude slaves were to have towards their masters, as recorded in Ephesians 6:5:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
In our passage of Romans 3:18, the word means “fear” in the sense of “reverence,” that is, “a feeling of profound respect for God.” Thus, it is the issue of reverence for God that is meant in the sentence of Romans 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
The word “eye” is translated from a Greek noun (ophthalmos) that literally refers to organ of sight, that is, “eye” but it can also represent the entire person, as that is the sense of “eyes” in Luke 10:23:
Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
The Lord pronounced blessing not on the eyes but on the person. Thus, “eyes” can stand for a person. It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used it in his quotation in our passage of Romans 3:18 so that the phrase before their eyes may simply mean “before them.”
In any case, when the apostle quoted Romans 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes, he meant to convey that unbelievers have no reverence towards God. Reverence or fear of God is not natural to humans, implying its universality in that humans do not naturally revere God as evident in human sinfulness. Hence, the lack of reverence or fear of God supports the universality of the sinfulness of humans. To understand this statement, we should consider the subject of fear of God.
Fear of God
Fear or reverence for God, that is, to have profound respect for Him, as we have stated, is not natural to humans. This we can support from the various commands in the Scripture regarding it. Israel was command to revere Yahweh God as we read in Deuteronomy 13:4:
It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
Solomon after his quest for meaning of life through various experiments or pursuit of many activities of life ended with the command to fear God as stated in Ecclesiastes 12:13:
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter, amid commands that concern showing respect to others, commanded believers to fear God as recorded in 1 Peter 2:17:
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
If fear of God was natural to humans, it would be pointless to command us to fear God. Sin is natural to humans and so we are not commanded to sin, but to avoid it because it is natural to us.
The fear of God or Yahweh is described in several ways in the Scripture. It is described as wisdom in Job 28:28:
And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’”
The phrase fear of the Lord is parallel to the verbal phrase to shun evil implying that a person who honors or respects Yahweh would avoid evil. Hence, the fear of God is described in terms of avoidance of evil in Proverbs 8:13:
To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
The fear of God or Yahweh will lead to righteousness as opposed to sin. This truth is conveyed to the Israelites through Moses after Yahweh appeared to them in Mount Sinai as recorded in Exodus 20:20:
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
This same truth that reverence for God will lead to righteousness as opposed to sin was certainly behind the command of King Jehoshaphat to those he appointed, to administer the Law of Yahweh, and to settle disputes among people as stated in 2 Chronicles 19:9:
He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD.
It is reverence for God that will also keep a ruler from making burdensome demands of people ruled as Nehemiah conveyed in Nehemiah 5:15:
But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that.
The same truth is conveyed in Proverbs 16:6:
Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
Apostle Paul makes the same point that reverence or fear of God would lead to progressive sanctification as stated in the passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Corinthians 7:1:
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
In any event, reverence for God will keep a person from sin and so steers a person in the direction of righteousness or doing what is in keeping with God’s word. The fact is that if you fear God, you will show it through avoidance of sin.
It is important to recognize that fear of God is quite beneficial in the enjoyment of life on this planet. God promised His blessings on such an individual as stated in Psalm 112:1:
Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
God answers the prayers of those who fear Him as the psalmist stated in Psalm 145:19:
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
So, you should pursue the fear of God through the study and application of His word as that is implied in Proverbs 2:3–5:
3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
Pray to God to grant you the fear of Him as the psalmist did in Psalm 86:11:
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
Ultimately, God is the One that grants the fear of Him as implied in His promise of the new covenant to Israel as recorded in Jeremiah 32:39–40:
39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.
All the same, with our understanding of what it means to fear God, there should be no doubt that it is not natural to humans. Therefore, when Apostle Paul quoted the words of the OT Scripture in Romans 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes, he states what is true of all humans as sinners. Hence, this quotation supports the apostle’s assertion regarding the universality of the sinfulness of humanity. Let me close with a reminder of the message of the section we are considering which is Humanity’s sinfulness is universal as attested by the Scripture and specifically supported by some functions of the law.
03/20/26