The Story of the Bible from Creation to the Cross to Eternal Glory
In 72 daily readings, we will examine the overall story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, seeking to get the big picture of God's work through Jesus Christ in this sinful world.
Today's Reading: Romans 1:18-32
Through the Bible Readings: Joshua 7-8, Luke 5:1–16, Psalm 40:14–17, Proverbs 10:5-6
If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings.
Context
What is wrong with this world? Why do people make such foolish choices and do such self-destructive things?
The only reason we are confused about this is that we haven't taken seriously the clear testimony of scripture, which tells us that the "god of his age has blinded the minds of unbelievers" and that the "heart is deceitful above all things." We live in a world dominated by the lies of Satan and enslaved to them.
The painful path of sin is marked out in Romans 1. This world is not as God created or intended, but our sin interfered. We humans "suppressed the truth" (verse 18) and embraced unrighteous living. Adam and Eve decided to reject the ways of God to turn to their own ways. It all began because human beings refused to worship God and instead exchanged the glory of God for the worship of idols made by human hands. In our supposed wisdom, we became a race of fools, abandoning God to follow our own paths of destruction.
There is a course of judgment that follows this sin. God's first act of judgment is not Sodom and Gomorrah-style fire and brimstone, but he simply gives us over to our sinful ways. Every sin carries its own punishment, its own curse, its own consequences. You cannot play with the serpent without feeling its venomous bite.
First, verse 24 says that God gave humanity over to sexual lust, to dishonor our bodies which were created to glorify God. Then, verse 26 describes the second step, when God gave humanity over to the perversion of homosexuality, to exchange what is normal for what is contrary to God's created order. Finally, verse 28 tells us that God gave society over to absolute depravity - giving a list of sins that looks like tomorrow's newspaper!
Paul concludes with the solemn and sad statement that these men and women know that the judgment of God is coming on such sin, but they do it anyway.
What is wrong with this world? Simple. Sin. Rebellion against God. A world at war with its creator and rightful Lord.
Devotional: We All Know
Are you intimidated when someone tells you they don't believe in God or in the Bible? Those of us who have given our hearts to Christ and submitted our minds to the word of God can be taken aback by skepticism and denial.
However, there are two facts that are affirmed in Romans 1 that should be a comfort to us, things that every person knows deep in their hearts. They may never admit it, but whether you are talking to a new-age hippie, an angry atheist, a shrugging postmodernist, or a secularist unconcerned with spiritual things, Paul affirms truths that we can rely on. They may deny it, but by the authority of God's word, it is so. There are two truths that every person knows instinctively whether they admit it or not. They may suppress that truth, but deep down in the recesses of their hearts and minds, they know these things to be right.
First, according to Romans 1:20, every person knows that there is a Creator of this world, a Lord over all things. People instinctively know that there is a God. Ever notice that the atheists are the ones having to convince people that there is no God? There is a deep human instinct that this world has an intelligent, powerful force behind it. Nothing else explains all of life's mysteries.
Of course, this truth is suppressed and people make the foolish, self-destructive choices laid out in Romans 1, but that does not change the fact that deep in the human heart there is a sense of God. It is not a saving knowledge of God that people have, but it is a knowledge of his existence and his sovereign power.
Second, according to verse 32, people have a sense of guilt. Psychologists claim this is just a neurosis that we need to move beyond, a relic our religious upbringing, or some kind of personal hangup that needs to be overcome. But Paul says it is more simple. We feel guilty because...well...we are guilty. Our spirit inside knows that we deserve death because of our unrighteousness. There is some part of us that knows, as sinful as we are, that what we are is not what we are meant to be and how we are living is not how we are meant to live.
There is a God and we all have sinned against him. When you speak with someone, you can know that deep inside they know these truths. They may have suppressed them and will deny it, but that knowledge is there and the Spirit of God can use it to bring conviction and repentance as you proclaim Christ.
Our duty is to complete that knowledge with the saving truth that the God who exists sent his Son to die for the sins that cause our guilt.
However, there are two facts that are affirmed in Romans 1 that should be a comfort to us, things that every person knows deep in their hearts. They may never admit it, but whether you are talking to a new-age hippie, an angry atheist, a shrugging postmodernist, or a secularist unconcerned with spiritual things, Paul affirms truths that we can rely on. They may deny it, but by the authority of God's word, it is so. There are two truths that every person knows instinctively whether they admit it or not. They may suppress that truth, but deep down in the recesses of their hearts and minds, they know these things to be right.
First, according to Romans 1:20, every person knows that there is a Creator of this world, a Lord over all things. People instinctively know that there is a God. Ever notice that the atheists are the ones having to convince people that there is no God? There is a deep human instinct that this world has an intelligent, powerful force behind it. Nothing else explains all of life's mysteries.
Of course, this truth is suppressed and people make the foolish, self-destructive choices laid out in Romans 1, but that does not change the fact that deep in the human heart there is a sense of God. It is not a saving knowledge of God that people have, but it is a knowledge of his existence and his sovereign power.
Second, according to verse 32, people have a sense of guilt. Psychologists claim this is just a neurosis that we need to move beyond, a relic our religious upbringing, or some kind of personal hangup that needs to be overcome. But Paul says it is more simple. We feel guilty because...well...we are guilty. Our spirit inside knows that we deserve death because of our unrighteousness. There is some part of us that knows, as sinful as we are, that what we are is not what we are meant to be and how we are living is not how we are meant to live.
There is a God and we all have sinned against him. When you speak with someone, you can know that deep inside they know these truths. They may have suppressed them and will deny it, but that knowledge is there and the Spirit of God can use it to bring conviction and repentance as you proclaim Christ.
Our duty is to complete that knowledge with the saving truth that the God who exists sent his Son to die for the sins that cause our guilt.
Father, your Son took the sting from sin and death by his sacrifice. May we share that love with a world that need him and knows deep down that you ARE!
Think and Pray:
Do you see the evidence of the suppression of truth and the stages of God's "giving them over" in the world around you?
Remember that though everyone deep down knows that there is a God and that they have sinned against him, they will only know of his saving grace if we share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Remember that though everyone deep down knows that there is a God and that they have sinned against him, they will only know of his saving grace if we share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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