(Romans 3:10-18)…..As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” 13 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; 14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
In laying out the condition of man, Paul proves that all have sinned (Romans 3:10). The reason for the continuance of sin is because there is no fear of God within them. What do we mean by fearing God? It means to love, honor, respect, and obey God. A firm reluctance to displease God. A strong desire to do His will. Is that what you have?Abraham showed a fear of God when he placed obedience to God above the life of his promised son (Genesis 22:12).
Think amount about the duty of mankind. The duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Fearing God because of His judgment (Revelation 14:7). The discipline of God should lead all to fear Him (Deuteronomy 8:2-6). The fear of God keeps us from evil (Proverbs 16:6). Since the fear of God motivates us to do His will and to refrain from evil, we would expect the person without a fear of God to become sinful. Why? Because, they have no reason to bind themselves to the laws of God. The history of mankind has been littered with the result of a lack of fearing God. Self-righteous behavior, wickedness, lies, and violence is common among man. The fear of God and a respect for His laws go hand-in-hand with peacefulness and a love for mankind.
What happens to a man who does not fear God?
First, He refuses to seek God. He refuses to walk in the ways of righteousness, again read, (Romans 3:10-18). It starts with a denial of God and it leads to corruption (Psalm 14:1-4). Because man denies God, God turns them over to depravity (Romans 1:28). As a result, calamity of their own making comes upon them (Proverbs 1:25-33). He becomes without value to God (Romans 3:12).
The words of his mouth become poisonous (Romans 3:13-14), and sees no need to control his words (James 3:5-12). Instead, his words become weapons to injure (Psalm 64:2-4). He is violent (Romans 3:15). You see, when God is ignored, men become animals, the strong preying upon the weak (Proverbs 1:10-19). He is without peace (Romans 3:16-17). There is no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 57:21) (Isaiah 59:6-8). We must remind ourselves to maintain a fear of God. We teach our children to fear flames, to avoid busy streets, and to not talk to strangers. Should we not instill in them a fear of and a respect for God (Matthew 10:28).