A certain portion of Scripture has been on my mind quite a bit lately. This passage troubles me for two reasons. The first reason is because it describes our culture in a very exacting way. From the big cities to the rural areas like I live in, the similarities are striking. The second reason is because the passage also describes in great detail what God does to people who do the things outlined in this chapter. Let me share the passage with you so you can see what I am talking about. I am going to put what our culture has done in italics and what God will do (and is already doing) in bold letter. The passage is a little lengthy, but I think you will be blown away by what it says.
Romans 1:18-32 says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
A ton of things could be said about the passage above, but let's look at the four main things that jump out to me.
1. Did you see what the first verse said? Romans 1:18 says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." That is a terrifying text in itself. God's holy wrath is revealed from heaven against ALL ungodliness and unrighteousness to those who suppress the truth. How often do we forget that God is holy, righteous, and just? We talk about God being a God of love (and He definitely is), but He is equally a God of holiness and justice. Because He is holy and just, He MUST punish sin. God must and will punish each and every sin ever committed in thought, motive, word, or deed. Habakkuk 1:13a says, "Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You can not look on wickedness with favor." The punishment will either be poured out on unrepentant sinners in an eternal hell, or has already been poured out on our Great Substitute (Jesus Christ) who bore the punishment of sins of each and every person who comes to Him in repentant faith. Mark 1:15 says, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Make no mistake, though, God's wrath burns against all sin. Psalm 5:5 says, "The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity." What an amazing testimony to God's love and mercy that He would offer forgiveness to the very ones who are His enemies!
2. The next thing I want to show you is this: Those who do not honor God and give Him thanks will face a terrifying punishment here and now (not to mention eternally). God will give them up in the lusts of their heart to impurity. That might not shake you up, but it surely does me. Let me explain. Those who do not honor the true God are without excuse for their actions of rebellion. They may appear to be very wise and educated, but if they do not honor and acknowledge God, they are fools. Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good." Why don't people honor God? They don't because they love sin. And God's response to that is what is frightening. He gives them up to their impurity. He let's them go. He let's them fulfill their wicked hearts' desires. He removes His restraining hand of grace. He will let them dishonor themselves. He will allow them to worship the gifts instead of the giver. If that is not terrifying, then I don't know what is. Do you want to see if a nation (or person) is pleasing to God? Then take a look at how they live. Do they love unrighteousness and the very things that God hates? That is a very strong indicator that God has already begun to give them up to their desires.
3. Look at the next step in the progression. Man's first step down the slippery slope of sin is when they deny God or don't honor Him. God then gives them up in the lusts of their hearts to their impurity. The next step gets worse. Look what happens to a culture when God gives them up to the lusts of their hearts. God gives them up to dishonorable passions. What are some examples of this? Romans 1:26-27 says, "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." Did you see the main symptom of God's judgment on a culture? He gives them up to sexual sin, particularly homosexuality. Do you want to know if God is judging a nation by giving them up to their lusts? Then look at how they view sex. Is sex a sacred gift God has given to one man and one woman to enjoy between themselves for a lifetime? Or does the culture view sex as an enjoyment to be obtained in whatever sinful way is pleasing to them? It is very troubling to me when I take a long and hard look at the culture that we live in. I think it is quite plain to see where we are as a culture.
4. Let's look at the last step in the judgment of God before the eventual eternal punishment that await those who refuse to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Romans 1:28-32 says, "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
If sinful men continue to go down the path of sin, this is the final step before eternal judgment. Look at this descriptive list of those who are on that path. What an accurate description of our culture! And here is the most telling thing about the list. Not only do people who God has given up do those sinful things, but they also give approval to others who practice them. There is no shame. Do you want me to tell you how you know a person or culture has sunk to an all-time low? If they have no shame for their sins and encourage and approve of others sin, then that is a very good indication that they are in a frightful situation.
Now do you see why this passage troubles me? What are we to do? Is there no hope for such a sinful culture? Thankfully, there is hope. Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." Since that passage is true, it is no wonder that Jesus gave very specific marching orders to the church. Matthew 28:19-20 says, "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
I am thankful that the Gospel of Christ has power to save. I am thankful that God can still break the hardest of hearts. I am thankful that in the midst of a perverse generation, God is till on the throne. Praise His name that in the midst of judgment, there is still hope to those who repent and believe on Christ.
Until next time, blessings and peace...
1 comment:
The word "believe" gives us the idea of a moral conviction. Basically, when we hear the gospel, we are to be grieved over our sins, and we are to change. Belief comes in the form of having faith, and faith will then produce the works of repentance.
Belief is more than knowledge. It is a knowledge that produces a life change. If there is no evidence or fruit in your life then the Bible would say that you have no faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and if you are not trying to please God, you are trying to please yourself. If you are trying to please yourself, you are not worshipping God, but you have begun to worship the creation (yourself) and not the Creator (God).
This is a very scary thing indeed. We must be very careful not to think too highly of ourselves or our own abilities. We must constantly recognize that we need God, and we must always admit that we are not capable of doing anything without Him.
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