swift their feet to shed blood;
Paul is building a legal case here. Verse 15 is one line in the charge sheet, and it moves the case from what people say to what they do. The deed named is killing.
One writer pictures an objector saying the charges so far are too general to prove anything.
He may complain that all six statements are general. He may remind us that when lawyers have a weak case, they talk in general terms to avoid coming down to details. If he says this, verses 13 to 18 answer him at once, for they give the details. The details name six parts of man's body: his throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet and eyes. Man sins in the body, and God will judge the deeds done in the body on the day that lies ahead of us all. Notice that four of the parts named have to do with what we say. One refers to what we do, and one to what we think, for the eye is the window of the mind.
The feet come straight after the mouth full of curses. One writer names the source of the line and treats that order as a chain.
The fifth quotation is from Proverbs 1:16: "for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood." From "curses and bitterness" it is only a short step to murder.
Each line in the list measures the man in a different way. The last two turn from what he does to what he lacks.
Verse 14 sums up man's words; verse 15 his walk; and verse 16 his ways. That is the full condemnation of man, put positively. To add force to it, verses 17 and 18 put the case negatively, showing that there is not one redeeming feature in the picture. The way of peace they have not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes. This last point is the centre and spring of all evil. Little as we may understand it, all sin comes from a negative attitude toward God.
Most readers have never shed blood, so verse 15 can look like someone else's charge. One writer answers that the extreme counts sit beside a count no one escapes.
God brings man into court. He is putting forward a series of counts against him, not taken from one psalm or prophet only, but pieces gathered from different parts of the Scriptures, to show the different sides of man. Some of the counts sound as if they were spoken only against notorious sinners (vv. 13-16): "Their throat is an open grave." But some must apply to everyone — verse 17, for instance: "the way of peace they have not known." What man of Adam's race ever knew the way of peace? See how he ends the trial: "every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God."
Commentators differ on the source of the line. This writer traces it to Isaiah, and shows what Paul does with these words next.
When the same apostle was explaining the gospel of God to the believers in Rome, he quotes weighty and withering words from the early verses of this chapter of Isaiah to convict of sin and ruin, and so to prove the desperate need of grace (Rom. 3:15-17, 19-20). But he follows this with God justifying freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a mercy seat through faith in His blood. This is truly good news to the sinner, Jew or Gentile.
Grace does more than pardon the body parts on this list. It gives each of them new work to do.
From that throat, once an open grave, comes the perfume of immortal love. That mouth, once "full of curses and bitterness," is now filled with blessing. That tongue, long used for "deceit," now spreads the word of truth and life. Those lips, which once hid the deadly "venom of asps," are now full of life-giving grace. Those feet, once "swift to shed blood," are now fitted with "the readiness given by the gospel of peace," and run gladly in the pathways of mercy… the members have become instruments of righteousness.
- Feet indicted. Verses 13-18 name six body parts — throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, eyes. Man sins in the body, and God will judge what the body has done.
- Feet hurrying. Verse 15 is the step after verse 14. From curses and bitterness it is a short move to murder, and the feet do not hesitate.
- Feet everyone owns. Some counts look aimed at notorious criminals. But the list ends with charges no descendant of Adam escapes, so every mouth is stopped.
- Feet needing grace. Paul quotes these withering words to prove how desperately we need grace. Then he answers them: God justifies freely through the redemption in Christ Jesus.
- Feet re-shod. The same feet once swift to shed blood now carry the gospel of peace. They run in the pathways of mercy, and the members become instruments of righteousness.
ruin and misery [are] in their ways,
Paul is building a case. From verse 10 he strings together lines from Israel's own Scriptures. This one is a link in that chain. It describes not what men say, but what they leave behind them. Why does God put this on record, and who does it describe?
Paul did not write this line himself. He took it from the prophet Isaiah, and it comes sixth in the row of quotations.
(Verses 16, 17) The sixth quotation is from Isaiah 59:7-8: "Wasting and destruction are in their paths; the way of peace they do not know." Murder leaves ruin and misery behind it.
These charges are ordered, not piled up at random.
Verse 14 sums up man's words; verse 15 his walk; and verse 16 his ways. This is the complete condemnation of man, stated positively. To add force to it, verses 17 and 18 speak from the negative side, showing that there is no redeeming feature in the picture.
A reader might take these words as aimed at criminals only. One commentator agrees that some of the charges read that way. Then he shows where that escape route closes.
Romans 3 is a little more specific. God brings man into court. (Verse 9 and following.) He brings forward a series of counts He has against him... Some of the counts might seem to be spoken only against notorious sinners. (Verses 13-16.) "Their throat is an open grave." But some must apply to everyone — verse 17, for instance: "The way of peace they have not known." What man of Adam's race ever knew the way of peace?
The people most likely to file this description under "other people" are the very ones Paul was addressing.
Now all this was said especially and pointedly to the Jew. Paul reminds them of this in verse 19. They were the people under the law, and the law spoke first of all to them. They might wish to brush it all aside and pretend that it only applied to the Gentile. That could not be allowed. The laws of England address the English; the laws of China the Chinese; the law of Moses the Jew. Their own Scriptures condemn them. Those Scriptures shut their mouths and bring in the sentence against them — Guilty before God.
Older translations read "destruction and misery are in their ways". One writer uses that pairing to answer a question about the word "destruction".
But destruction is not annihilation. "Destruction AND misery are in their ways" (Rom. 3:16) could not be translated, "annihilation and misery are in their ways." You could have misery before annihilation—but it would be impossible after. To feel misery along with destruction proves an existence still able to feel it. So destruction cannot mean annihilation. How careful the wording of Scripture is!
The charge is not the destination. Paul makes it so that he can answer it, and the answer comes at once.
When the same apostle was opening up the gospel of God to the believers in Rome, he quotes weighty and withering words from the early verses of our chapter. He uses them to convict of sin and ruin, and so to prove the desperate need of grace (Rom. 3:15-17, 19-20). But he follows this up with God justifying freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God set forth as a mercy seat through faith in His blood. This is good news indeed to the sinner, Jew or Gentile.
- Chain — this line is the sixth quotation in the row, and it comes after cursing and bloodshed: "Murder leaves ruin and misery behind it."
- Ways — words (v.14), then walk (v.15), then ways (v.16). Verses 17-18 seal the condemnation: nothing good is left.
- Court — God brings man into court and reads out the counts. Paul aimed them first at the people who had the law. Some look aimed at notorious sinners, but no one of Adam's race has ever known the way of peace.
- Ruin — "destruction" here is not annihilation. Misery felt along with it proves an existence that can still feel.
- Grace — Paul quotes these withering words to prove the desperate need of grace. Then he turns at once to God justifying freely through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
and way of peace they have not known
Paul is closing a chain of quotations from Israel's own Scriptures. Charge after charge is piled on the whole human race. This line names something never found, and it forces one question: is anyone exempt?
The words are not new with Paul. He reaches back to a prophet who described the same people in the same terms. The line before this one names ruin and misery, and it leads straight into this one.
The sixth quotation is from Isaiah 59:7-8: "Wasting and destruction are in their paths; the way of peace they know not." Murder leaves in its wake ruin and misery.
Paul had a reason for reaching back to this passage. Look at where his argument goes next.
When the same apostle was opening up the gospel of God to the believers in Rome, he quotes heavy, crushing words from the early verses of our chapter. He does it to convict of sin and ruin, and so to prove how desperately grace is needed (Rom. 3:15-17, 19-20). But he follows this up with God justifying by His grace, as a free gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Some of the earlier charges sound like they belong to hardened criminals. A respectable reader can shrug those off. This one gives no room to do that.
Romans 3 is a little more specific. Man is brought into court. Here God brings forward a list of charges He has against him. They are not taken from one psalm or one prophet only. They are pieces collected from different parts of the Scriptures, so as to show the different sides of man. Some of the charges sound as if they are spoken only against notorious sinners: "Their throat is an open grave." But some must apply to everyone. Take verse 17 — "The way of peace they have not known." What man of Adam's race ever knew the way of peace? See how Paul closes the trial: "every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God."
The list moves from what comes out of the mouth, to the walk, to the ways. The last two verses switch method. They name what is missing.
Verse 14 sums up man's words; verse 15 his walk; and verse 16 his ways. That is the full condemnation of man, stated positively. To add force to it, verses 17 and 18 speak from the negative side. They show that there is no redeeming feature in the picture at all. They have not known the way of peace: there is no fear of God before their eyes. This last point is, after all, the centre and spring of all evil.
"Have not known" means more than missing information. Man cannot work his way back to what he lost.
It is a sad yet true reflection that not only has man lost the enjoyment of peace, but he is quite incapable of regaining it. In Romans 3 Paul gives us, by the Holy Spirit, a striking summary of what man does and where he falls short. He ends it by saying, "and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." How clearly today shows the truth of these words! Men away from God, looking for the way of peace, and all their efforts proving useless.
Peace was not kept back from the world. It came in a Person, and the world turned Him away.
But men rejected the Prince of peace. His mission was peace, but men's refusal of Him has made peace impossible, and they have to suffer the sword instead. When the Lord Jesus thought of the consequences to men, He wept, saying: "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes." And so it has become true of men everywhere: "the way of peace have they not known."
The verse describes what every believer once was. The gospel announces that this has changed, and not by anything we did.
Once we had nothing to do with peace, for "the way of peace they have not known." That was no surprise while we were in unbelief, for "there is no peace, says my God, for the wicked." But God has sent the word "preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)." And Christ "came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near." So now, even at a time like this, when everything is confusion, uncertainty and unrest, we know we have a right to it. Why? "For He made peace through the blood of His cross."
The verses just before speak of feet swift to shed blood. Those same feet now get something new to wear.
Before the Gospel reached us, as sinners of the Gentiles, we were without God, and "the way of peace" we did not know. But now the gospel has given our feet shoes. Not only shoes of privilege for the house of God, like the shoes given to the returned prodigal son, but shoes of peace for the fight.
- Source — Paul takes the line from Isaiah 59:7-8. Ruin and misery fill a man's paths, and the way of peace is never found.
- Reach — A charge like an open grave for a throat lets a decent person feel excused. This one leaves no escape. No child of Adam ever knew the way of peace.
- Depth — Verses 17 and 18 state the case from the negative side. No redeeming feature is left, and the missing fear of God is the spring of all the rest.
- Cause — Peace was not simply unavailable. It came in the Prince of peace, and man's refusal of Him left the sword instead.
- Remedy — What we once had nothing to do with is now preached to us. He made peace through the blood of His cross, and those same feet now wear the shoes of the gospel of peace.