Romans Chapter 3 Vs. 13

 

No One Is Righteous

Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Rom 3:13

an open sepulchre... By malicious and cutting words they kill and bury the reputation of people. As a tomb is opened and the stench of putrefaction is unbearable, so their throats spue forth poison (Rom. 3:13-14).

poison of asps... Greek: aspis, adder (Psm. 140:3; Deut. 32:33; Job 20:14-16; Isa. 11:8).

These verses describe the vileness and wickedness of various parts of the human body, indicating figuratively that every part contributes to a person’s condemnation. In sequence these quotations are taken from Psm. 5:9 (Rom. 3:13); Psm. 140:3 (Rom. 3:13); Psm. 10:7 (Rom. 3:14); Isa. 59:7-8 (Rom. 3:15-17); and Psm. 36:1 (Rom. 3:18).

This a similar Scripture in Psalms.

Psalms 140:3 “They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison [is] under their lips. Selah.”

We see from this that the tongue can be a very evil and hurtful instrument when it speaks from an evil heart. I believe that is what is meant by the throat being an open sepulcher. Look with me in the book of James to see some of this.

James 3:6-8 ” And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” “For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:” “But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

A sepulcher is a tomb or in this case, like an open grave. These were sealed not only to show respect for the deceased, but to hide the sight and stench of the body’s decay. As an unsealed tomb allows those who pass to see and smell what is inside, the unregenerate man’s open throat, that is the foul words that come from it, reveal the decay of his heart.

When we receive Jesus as our Savior, the very first member of our body that we should turn over to Jesus is our tongue. The natural tongue is very evil, if not controlled by the Spirit.