Romans 3:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

NIV: Their feet are swift to shed blood;

NASB: 'THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,

CSB: Their feet are swift to shed blood;

NLT: 'They rush to commit murder.

KJV: Their feet are swift to shed blood:

NKJV: “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Paul moves from the mouth to the feet in his description of the sinfulness of all human beings, including both Jews and Gentiles. He has been quoting from the Old Testament to back up his statement that all people are under sin and deserving of God's anger. Feet, as used symbolically in Scripture, are representative of the intentions and actions of men. Where a person's feet go, they go; the feet are simply the mechanism by which a person "goes to" certain places. Spiritually, then, the feet symbolize the intents and behaviors of a person.

In that respect, another way we express our sinfulness is with feet that are quick to shed blood. Paul references Isaiah 59:7–8 in this and the following two verses. By nature, people are quick to hurt each other when we think it will help ourselves. Causing pain to others is a barrier we are willing and ready to cross.

James put it this way: "You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel" (James 4:2). This is normal human behavior, but it rightly earns for us the angry judgment of God.

Romans 3:9–20 contains a string of quotes from the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul uses these to demonstrate that both Jews and Greeks alike are under sin. After establishing that ''there is none who does good'' from Psalm 14:1, Paul uses quotes from Psalms and Isaiah to show ways we have always used our bodies—throats, tongues, lips, feet, and eyes—to express our sinfulness. He concludes the section with his strongest statement, yet, that no human being will be justified in God's sight by following the works of the law. The law can only show us our sin, not save us from it.

Romans 3 begins with a question-and-answer scheme. These are responses one might expect from someone opposed to what Paul wrote in Romans 2. Next, Paul quotes from a series of Old Testament passages. These Scriptures show that those writers also agreed that nobody, not one person, deserves to be called righteous. Paul declares emphatically that no one will be justified by following the works of the law. Finally, though, he arrives at the good news: righteousness before God is available apart from the law through faith in Christ's death for our sin on the cross.

The prior chapter explained that God's judgment on sin will come to all men, whether or not they understand the literal law. Faith in God, in the heart, matters more to God than rote obedience. At the start of this chapter, Paul answers a series of questions from an imagined objector to those teachings. Next, he quotes a series of Old Testament passages which support His teaching that human beings are by nature sinful. Each of us turns away from God. Nobody can be justified by the law, Paul insists. Fortunately, it is possible to attain God's righteousness: but only by His grace, through faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice for our sin on the cross. We must come to this by faith, and it is available to Jews and Gentiles alike.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.