Bad Breath and Dirty Feet

Romans 3:9-18

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ ‘Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.’ ‘The venom of asps is under their lips.’ ‘Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.’ ‘There is no fear God before their eyes.”

In 1865, Johnson Oatman, a New. Jersey minister, wrote the hymn “No, Not one.” The first verse and chorus read, “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No, not one! No, not one! None else could heal al our soul’s diseases. No, not one! No, not one! Jesus knows all about our struggles; He will guide til day is done. There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus.  No, not one! No, not one! 

What if we took this Roman’s passage and wrote a new verse to this hymn? “There’s no one righteous, we do not seek God. No, not one! No, not one! No understanding and no one does good. No, not one! No, not one! Our bitterness fills our mouth with curses. Our paths are ruin, full of misery. There is no fear our eyes before Him. No, not one! No, not one!”

If we could see our sin in the eyes of a Holy God, we would better understand the glorious miracle of His grace and salvation. 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you
Explain – what does the passage mean?
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today?
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Today’s post is by Jim Sellers

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