Romans 3:18 (WEB)

Passage

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”Psalm 36:1

Nearby Context

Romans 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways.

Romans 3:17 The way of peace, they haven’t known.”Isaiah 59:7-8

Romans 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”Psalm 36:1

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.

Romans 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fear", "before", "eyes", and "psalm". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fear" and "before", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "The way of peace they haven t..." into verse 19's "Now we know that whatever things the...", so "fear" and "before" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "fear" and "before" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.