Romans 3:13-17 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used 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 have they not known:

The outworking of evil begins in the heart, manifested in the mouth and in the works of the hands and feet. A sobering assessment of man after the fall. The first covenant home set up by Adam and Eve was devastated when we saw one sibling killing another, Cain killed Abel. It must have grieved the hearts of the parents to see such carnage in the home. The Bible says Cain was very wroth (very angry). What happened? If we can perform an open heart surgery to examine the heart of Cain, like what the Apostle Paul did in examining his own heart, he concludes that this is what he called “the works of the flesh” (Gal. 2:16; 5:19-21). It is interesting to observe that the Chinese character for cruel, fierce, violent, reference to killing given below fits well such a man.

兇

In the Book “The Discovery of Genesis”, the author CH Kang and Ethel R. Nelson, gave a description of this word that can help carry the thought in what the Apostle Paul is describing in our text, “The figure itself shows a mark on the body, even as Cain, the original elder brother and the first cruel and passionate murderer had been marked by God. In the Chinese writing “x” is used in many words to denote killing or cutting. Therefore this mark on the elder brother 兇 was very significant in designating him as a murderer. In the past years, criminals in China were tattooed on the cheeks or forehead so that for the rest of their lives they would be recognised as outcasts from society. This custom could well have been derived from a knowledge of the ancient story of Cain.” [CH Kang and Ethel R. Nelson, Concordia Publishing House, 1979, 86.]

This world has failed to secure that most elusive commodity called “peace”. The dictionary meaning of “peace” describes the normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations or the world, a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations and the normal freedom from civil commotion and violence of a community. Peace is described a state of tranquillity and serenity, a state or condition conducive to, proceeding from, or characterized by tranquillity. This world has yet seen true peace. War characterised all the history of mankind.

Only repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21) can break the bondage of sin and evil in a person’s heart to bring true peace to the heart. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer’s life. Thank God for Christ’s finished work on the cross and the free offer of the gospel, God’s only power to break the fetters of sin. May we share it with someone today. Amen.

Jesus breaks every fetter,(3x)

Jesus sets me free.

I will sing “Hallelujah”, (3x)

Christ has set me free.

(John Sung Chorus)