Book of Romans
12-14-2011 Vol. 6 Part 6
Psalms 53:1-6 NKJV To the Chief Musician. Set to "Mahalath." A Contemplation of David. The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon God? There they are in great fear Where no fear was, For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you; You have put them to shame, Because God has despised them. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad. Father we praise you, we give you all the glory. Father touch our hard hearts and give us a thimble of the love you have for us, so that we can display that enduring love to all around us during this Christmas season. Father I pray that all keep you in sight this Christmas season and give you praise and thanks for sending your Son to us as our saviour. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth we pray! Amen!
Romans 1:24-32
Romans 1:24-32 NKJV Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Verse 24-25: What do you think about the statement Paul made, “God gave them up”? Do you think God does this? Does man reach a point of no return in his sinfulness? I thought God was infinitely gracious and forgiving? The answer is yes to both statements. God does turn his back on us and allows us to wallow around in our human estate of the sin nature, but when we come to our senses, He is sure to be there and forgive us and shower us with his grace. Why would God give us up? Could it be we think we know best, is it our arrogance, our idolatry, our immorality, our pride, our not giving God the worship, praise, thanks, and glory that He deserves? In reading the Old Testament God did this many times to the Israelites. When they would start murmuring against God, He would turn them over to their own wickedness, but always take them back when they realized they had forsaken Him, although in some instances God purged the wicked from the tribe as a way of punishing those responsible and putting fear in those remaining. The following verses tell of a time when God’s wrath was poured out. Not only Korah perished, but his men, their families, and another 250 people. Open your Bibles to Numbers Chapter 16 to read about it. Numbers 16:30-32 NKJV But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD." 31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
Going on with verse 24 above it states, “uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves”. God turns people over to the lusts of their hearts when they turn their backs on Him, and then they start to spiral downward. Open your Bibles up to verse 18 and start reading the progression of sin. It starts out with people not worshipping the one and only true God, which is idolatry. It states that the evidence of God is all around us, yet we don’t recognize God’s creation. So we are the ones that start this progression of sin and God then abandons us. Our minds become dark and confused and we exchange the truth about God for a lie. We make images like people, animals, birds, etc. to worship, and then God turns us over to our desires, and immorality sets in. In this dark confused state man starts to worship and serve what God created and not Him, the creator of all things.
Why do you suppose sexual immorality is listed before the lists in verses 29-31? Is it that call of the wild that is within our human nature? Is it the part of God’s command, “be fruitful and multiply”? I don’t know, but if you take a few minutes and think about it, we are surrounded by sexuality. Sex sells, just listen to or look at advertisements, TV programs, movies, etc. After thinking about this for a few minutes I have to agree that idolatry gives birth to immorality, sexual immorality. What do you think?
God does not cause this steady progression toward evil. Rather, when people reject him, he allows them to live as they choose. God gives them over to, or permits them to experience the natural consequences of their sin. Once caught in the downward spiral, no one can pull himself or herself out. Sinners must trust Jesus Christ alone to deliver them from destruction.
Verses 26 & 27: What is stated in these two verses has been in the news media a lot over the past few years. Here is what we need to keep in mind, Jesus loves the person, but hates the sin of the person, it is the love of benevolence that we need to practice when it comes to homosexuality. No other place in God’s word is it so clear that lesbianism and homosexuality are wrong and the results will be Hell for those that practice it. To put these two verses in layman’s terms; ….women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men…. How can anyone dispute these words? The key word for both verses is the word “natural”. All we can do for these people that live this type of lifestyle is tell them what God’s word says with love and grace and then pray, pray, pray for them. Verses 26, 27, 32, & Jude 1:7 is all you need to witness to these individuals.
The last phrase in verse 27 states, “and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due”. Does this phrase mean Hell or could it be referring to a venereal disease? I tend to think it is referring to disease since verse 32 speaks of dying, meaning Hell. So is this why we have Aids?
Verses 28 – 31: These verses list a multitude of sin that results when a person chooses a life without God. Since Dr. David Jeremiah defines them so well in his study guide I will just quote them. They are divided into five categories:
Words that Describe Shameful Human Character |
· Unrighteousness; This is a word which means injustice (as used in verse 18). The concept of injustice would have resonated with the Romans, who built their empire by means of their unjust treatment of others. |
· Wickedness; This word is used for depravity, iniquity, and evil purposes and desires. It stands for the general inclination to evil that reigned among the heathen and made them practice and take pleasure in their vicious actions. |
· Covetousness; Sometimes translated by the word greed, it is the desire always to have more. It is the lust to advance oneself at the expense of others. |
· Maliciousness; A disposition to injury and revenge, a deliberate desire to do harm to other people. It is wickedness that is not ashamed to break the laws, a vicious disposition. |
· Full of envy; Envy is a byproduct of greed but it goes beyond greed in evil. It is jealousy over the fact that other people have more than we do. |
· Deceit; This word in the Greek means "fish bait" and ultimately came to mean to lure, to ensnare, to beguile, to deceive. |
· Evil-mindedness; The lexicon translates it "bad character, depravity of heart and life, malignant subtlety, malicious craftiness." It is a desire to hurt and take pleasure in doing so. |
· Haters of God; The Bible says that the carnal mind is enmity against God (Romans 8:7). Wicked man hates God's holiness, His justice, and His sovereignty. |
· Violent; Injury, insolence, and insult. It could apply to the hissings of a mob even against the most dignified of persons. |
· Proud; A reference to arrogance and haughtiness. Having a high opinion of oneself and filled with contempt for others. |
· Undiscerning; Without understanding or discernment. Such persons were not ignorant in the things of the world, but when it came to the things of God, they were unintelligent and stupid. |
· Unloving; Sometimes translated "without natural affection." This concept is illustrated in the mother who abandons her child or the father who abandons his family. |
· Untrustworthy; The breaking of solemn engagements that have been ratified by oaths and ceremonies; covenant breakers, whether public or private, between individuals or nations. |
· Unmerciful; To be without any compassion. To be unable and unwilling to feel for the distresses of others. An example in the Roman world were the coliseums in which gladiators fought to the death to the audience's delight. |
Words that Describe Shameful Human Conduct |
· Murder; This word frequently appears next to the word envy. In fact the two words look very much alike in the Greek language. There is only a breath, an impulse, between envy and murder. According to the apostle John, Cain murdered Abel "Because his works were evil and his brother's works righteous" (1 John 3:12). |
· Disobedient to parents; This is a violation of the fifth commandment, but it is also the violation of a law written in the hearts of the heathen as seen in the natural love of children for their parents. Disregard of parents by children is a disregard for this natural law of relationship (Ephesians 6:2; 2 Timothy 3:1-2). |
Words that Describe Shameful Human Conversation |
· Strife; Translated in some texts by the word "quarrelsome." It is debate that has gone sour; wrangling in its ugliest sense. |
· Whisperers; Represents the kind of evil-speaking that is done in secret; sowing divisions. It is one of the most evil sins of the tongue because the whisperer often escapes the conviction of falsehood and the accused has no means of defending himself against the secret accusation. |
· Backbiters; A reference to those who take pleasure in scandalizing their neighbors. Unlike the whisperers, the backbiters do not hesitate to make their accusations in public! |
· Boasters; Ostentatious people who claim for themselves more than is just. An action that results from a feeling of personal superiority or undeserved self-confidence. |
Words that Describe Shameful Human Concepts |
· Inventors of evil things; Inventors of unlawful pleasures and all kinds of additional evils. |
Words that Describe Shameful Human Companionships |
· In verse 32 Paul says that those who consent to the practice of sin are as guilty as those who commit the sin. Anyone that encourage others to sin are also guilty of sin. |
Paul says that man's character, his conduct, his conversation, his concepts, and his companionships have all been corrupted by his rejection of God.
At the close of Romans 1, we see what Paul meant in verse 18 when he said that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." God's wrath is His judicial abandonment of wicked people. Romans 1 depicts the life we are living here on earth, will be the life we live for eternity. The question is will that eternal life be one of glory, or one of torment?
We have seen what we would be without the grace of God, and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for our sins. No wonder Paul felt a debt to share with the Romans the wonderful message that had so radically changed his own life! Paul says that God abandons man in three areas: idolatry, immorality, and iniquity. The natural consequences of man's choices in these areas lead him ultimately away from God. God cannot take up residence in our body that is a temple if we indulge in sin. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NKJV 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Unless you are Born Again, you cannot enter into Heaven, the Kingdom of God."
Bill
Last Week’s Trivia: What do you think the word “Acts” could represent?
Answer: Answer: ACTS of the Apostles embrace:
A = Adoration of Jesus Christ
C = Confession of sin
T = Thankfulness of Jesus saving power
S = Supplication to our Father’s grace
This week’s Trivia: Where does Frankincense come from?
No comments:
Post a Comment