Under Sin: Paul’s Chain of Scripture

Paul gathers a chain of Israel’s Scriptures to describe humanity “under sin.” Psalms 14/53, 5, 10, 36 and 140, together with Isaiah 59, supply language about corrupted understanding, poisonous speech, violent feet, and the absence of the fear of God. The force comes from accumulation: mind, mouth, path, and worship are all implicated.

The chain does not mean every person commits every possible sin to the same degree. It functions as a scriptural indictment that closes every mouth and makes the world accountable to God. The law therefore cannot serve as a platform for boasting; through law comes knowledge of sin.