Romans 1:1–32 (Continued)

January 15, 2013

The wrath of God. Something a lot of people don't want to talk about, but that doesn't change the fact that it exists.

"God's anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth. God shows his anger because some knowledge of him has been made clear to them. Yes, God has shown himself to them. There are things about him that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. They knew God, but they did not give glory (praise) to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness. They said they were wise, but they became fools." Romans 1:18–22

They substituted the worship of things, and God left them! What an awful, terrifying, and sober thought. God left them! Not on some whim. God is not a God who is looking for some minor infraction so He can zap us and prevent us from entering heaven. Not at all. But there does come a time when because of man's refusal to surrender to Him, and because of man's determination to follow his own evil ways, accountability happens—and "God left them."

Romans 1:24–25 - "Because they did these things, God left them and let them go their sinful way, wanting only to do evil... they traded the truth of God for a lie." Romans 1:26 - "Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do." People didn't (don't) think it important to have a true knowledge and understanding of God. Romans 1:28 - "So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do the things they should not do." And as a result, they are filled with:

• Every kind of sin
• Evil
• Selfishness
• Hatred
• Jealousy
• Murder
• Fighting
• Lying
• Thinking the worst about each other
• Gossip
• False accusations
• Rudeness
• Conceitedness
• Arrogance
• They strategize ways to get what they want
• They are disrespectful to their parents
• Foolishness
• They don't keep their promises
• They are ruthless
• They show no mercy

Romans 1:32 - "They know God's law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them."

Oh, the wrath of God! I can't imagine living my life in the reality of "God left them." May my life always be a reflection of His love; His beauty; His grace; His mercy; His kindness; His forgiveness.  May others see Christ in me.


Next Entry: Romans 2:1 – 3:8