God’s Indictment of the World
Posted By Joe on October 21, 2009
The Chasm
There is a chasm between every human being and the Creator of the Universe. It's a chasm that no one can cross over by strictly human means.
Why the chasm? What caused it? In a word, sin. The sin of Adam and Eve and all of their children (that's you and I) caused a separation between God and us.
In ancient times, in the days before Jesus of Nazareth, God provided a way to "cover" the people's sin: animal sacrifice. It was the blood of the animal that appeased God's wrath. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). In fact, we see this subtlety after Adam and Eve sinned.
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. --Genesis 3:21.
Prior this moment, Adam and Eve were vegetarians and were naked in ever sense of the word. But now that they sinned, something needed to cover that sin and that was the blood of an animal.
But that was the Old Testament, the old covenant. It never removed sin, it only covered sin.
When Jesus came and died upon the cross, His shed blood removed our sin. Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world as our sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29).
The cause of God's condemnation: willful ignorance
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. --Romans 1:18-19.
Here Paul begins a long passage where he describes God's indictment of the world. Paul is clear: God has revealed His wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness!
Why?
Because that which is known about God is evident within them!
Why?
For God made it evident to them!
Paul is just getting started, but already he leaves all of us without excuse.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. --Romans 1:20.
In case you missed it, let's just break this one down. Since the creation of this world:
- God's invisible attributes have been clearly seen
- God's eternal power has been clearly seen
- God's divine nature has been clearly seen
How?
By being understood through what has been made. In other words, by looking at all God has created, we can clearly see items 1-3.
Update 10/21/2009 3:30 p.m. PDT: Please reference - Exhibit A. (HT: Caffeinated Thoughts)
So what?
We are without excuse!
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. --Romans 1:21-23.
Stunning! I believe Paul is saying that everyone knows there is a God. That means atheists and agnostics. Surely atheists deny the existence of God (that's willful). As such, they do not honor Him as God or give thanks. So what follows this? They become futile in their speculations and their foolish hearts are darkened.
Update 10/21/2009 3:45 p.m. PDT: Please reference - Exhibit B. (HT: GetReligion.org)
The result of this?
Professing to be wise, they became fools! The natural outflow of this is the exchange of the glory of the incorruptible God for the worship of corruptible man and the animals.
The consequences of the condemnation: divine abandonment
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. --Romans 1:24-25.
Because man has not acknowledged God in His role as Creator, "God them over" in the lusts of our hearts to impurity. The Greek word for "impurity" means "the impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living." Just because you may be living in lust and luxuriant living and nothing bad is happening, doesn't mean God is okay with it. He's abandoned you!
For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. --Romans 1:26-27.
Because man has not acknowledged God in His role as Creator, "God them over" to degrading passions. The Greek word for "passions" means "in the New Testament, in a bad sense, depraved passion, vile passions."
The Bible is clear: homosexuality is a sin. I don't care what the prevailing "wisdom" says. The Bible is very clear on this. Moreover, from the reading of these passages in Romans, this appears to be a judgment levied on those who would not acknowledge God as Creator!
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. --Romans 1:28-32.
Let's break this down.
Again, because man has not acknowledged God in His role as Creator, "God them over" to a depraved mind. What flows from having a depraved mind?
- Doing things that are not proper
- Filled with unrighteousness
- Wickedness
- Greed
- Evil
- Full of envy
- Murder
- Strife
- Deceit
- Malice
- Gossip
- Slanderers
- Haters of God
- Insolent
- Arrogant
- Boastful
- Inventors of evil
- Disobedient to parents
- Without understanding
- Untrustworthy
- Unloving
- Unmerciful
It is truly an ugly list. Do you recognize any of those items in your own life? I see some of them in my own life from time-to-time. That's the sin nature that we all have!
And what is the penalty for those who practice these things?
Those who practice such things are worthy of death! Death! It's the death penalty!
And look closely. It's not just those who practice such things but those who give hearty approval to those who do! Do you understand how cancerous it is for churches that are part of the Body of Christ to support the behaviors mentioned in these passages?
The Bridge
As we already mentioned, all of this caused a chasm between us and God. The only way to get from our side of depravity to God's side of glory and righteousness is through the cross of Christ.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. --Romans 3:23-26.
God publicly displayed to all the world, His wrath and His indictment that He poured out on His Son. Jesus took our place. The wrath God had stored up for you and I He placed upon His Son. He loved us so much that He did that so you could cross that chasm between you and He and spend eternity with Him!
The Alternative?
So let's say you choose to continue living in your depravity. Maybe you're happy living a life apart from God. Maybe you're saying to yourself: "Hey, this is all there is. There is no afterlife so I need to get it all now!"
If that's you, friend, then you are deluding yourself and believing the lie of Satan. I care about you too much to deceive you so I am going to tell you the truth of your end. If you die before Jesus returns, that isn't the end of your life.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Any if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. --Revelation 20:14-15.
If you don't believe in the afterlife, and that you're just going to die and be buried or your ashes scattered at sea, I have a news flash for you: you're wrong! The sea is going to give up her dead just as those who are buried. And you'll be raised up for judgment and thrown into the lake of fire! You'll be spending eternity with Satan in hell!
That is the truth, friend. It's one or the other. God loves you so much He's giving you the choice! He is not going to force you to love Him, but He will force you--in the time to come--to worship and acknowledge Him as God! Don't be on that side the chasm.
May He Increase!
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