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Paul is writing to the Roman believers from Corinth. He is in Corinth for the third visit, and this is recorded for us in Acts 20: 1-3. The focus of the Book of Romans is God’s great plan for redemption.
We looked at the Kinsman Redeemer in Ruth, and here in Romans, Paul will explore Jesus, who is our true Kinsman Redeemer. The God who became man to identify with us, suffer like us, die like us, and then rise from the dead to conquer death, our final enemy. In verses 1-7, Paul makes it clear that salvation is by God, of God, through God, and sustained by God. He leaves no room for pride, for works, or for any other way of salvation. In verse 16, we have the famous declaration:
“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.”
Paul then jumps into dealing with those that are unbelievers. Those who know the truth know that there is a God and yet refuse to humble themselves before Him. Paul reveals to us that there are very few true atheists. God is known by all, denied by many. One has to go to great lengths to deny the existence of God. The fact that a thing exists is a testimony that there was someone who made the thing. The fact that there is a creation simply draws us to conclude that there is a Creator, verses 20-21:
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Therefore, because they deny God, they go to extraordinary lengths to deny God and explain Him away. God has begun to execute judgment on them, and we can see that being played out in our world today. In verse 24, we see that ‘God gave them up to uncleanness,’ and as such, they began to do sexual misconduct. One of the natural outflows of denying God is loss of interest in natural sexual behavior. Paul states that these folks dishonor their bodies. The AMP version describes this as being given over to the ‘degrading power of sin.’ Holman’s notes point out that this is a judicial act; God removes His restraining grace that acts as a guard for how sinful we really are. We begin to see things and do things that we never thought possible because God has given up on us.
Next, when God is denied, He gives them over to ‘vile passions.’ These are described as when men lust after men, and women also turn to other women in sexual ways. We are told that sex between a man and a woman is ‘natural.’ Anything else is unnatural. We all know that. These folks can’t see it because God has given them over, taken away His grace, and allowed their natural sin nature to have complete control.
There used to be a ‘cringe’ that came with public affection between two men. These things were kept in secret and in the darkness, the dark recesses of this world, because we all know that they are wrong. Not just wrong but an affront to God’s natural design. No farmer can bring in two bulls to ‘mate’ and expect calves. We ALL know that. But somehow, we explain it away as ‘love’ when it is two men or two women. It is wrong. Those of us that trust and believe in God are being forced to accept this behavior. To see two grown men, obvious men with beards and male features, kissing and other expressions in public. Our children see men with men, and we have to explain that this is wrong before God.
By the way, my Canadian government just made reading and teaching from this passage a hate crime; it is illegal to read Romans 1.
Then lastly, in verse 28, God gave them over to a ‘debased mind.’ The AMP version translates it as ‘depraved.’ The Holman Bible presents it as a ‘worthless mind.’ And with this worthless mind, they are now free to do even more evil. We see it every day. There is a lawlessness, a mentality that says ‘I can do whatever I want,’ as if there is no accountability. Once we allowed homosexuality to be lived out freely, the next targets were our kids. The effort to sexualize our kids, even at the age of 6 or 7, is hard fought. They want our kids as sexual deviants well before they reach high school. Sadly, they are winning, for the most part.
According to most data, the average age for the ‘first heterosexual encounter’ is 16 in North America, with 2% of girls having sex by 12 or younger. Here in Canada, 22% of grade 9-10 students report having their first sexual encounter. These are 14- and 15-year-olds having sex and having it often. By Grade 10, 33% of girls are on birth control. This is causing health issues and making them think that they cannot get pregnant which most adults know is not the case. I have a friend or two who have gotten pregnant while on birth control.
These folks cannot think of anything but evil. We all see the hidden videos of teachers trying to indoctrinate kids into evil and demanding pro-nouns. We have all seen by now videos of parents reading sexually explicit and graphic material that their kids are required to read. These parents often get arrested for indecency, or they are shut up because they read the perverse stuff back to the teachers.
There has been a rise in sexual misconduct between female teachers and their students. This used to be a male-dominated area; no longer is that the case. It is just going to get worse. God has given these folks over to the evil that is inside them. They cannot think of anything else. They just want to do evil all the time. It is their norm, and we who try to do right are now the evil ones. We are the weird ones. We are the ones that society wants to shut up, send back into our homes, and make us look like we are the hateful ones.
God’s judgment on mankind has already begun. He is letting us ‘hang ourselves,’ as the saying goes. He did not have to do anything proactive; He just had to simply allow us to know what life would actually be like if He did not exist, as many want Him to be.
One day soon, He will wake them up from their stupor, and, hopefully, some will find Jesus and trust Him. Others will stand before God one day in total hopelessness, looking at the God they denied and tried to erase from life and memory. But it will be too late. Their sins will not be covered, they will not be washed away, they will not be buried in the depths of the sea; rather, they will have to shoulder their own sins for eternity in Hell. But at least for them, God won’t be there; they should feel right at home.
Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
70 Victoria Street, Elora, Ontario
The post Romans 1:8-32: God’s Judgment Has Already Begun :: By Sean Gooding appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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