Romans 1:21

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. 

As Paul described in the previous verses, God made Himself perfectly and clearly visible through His creation (including man), and all of which was created for the sole purpose of glorifying God.

Now, in verse 21, Paul begins to indicate how serious man in his lost state really is.

 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him

God, through Paul, is saying - my creation knows who I am, I have made it perfectly clear. Yet, man has freely chosen not to acknowledge me as Lord, or give thanks to Me for all that I have provided - The responsibility lies squarely on our shoulders, and eternal condemnation as sinners refusing to honor and glorify God is just judgement for our actions. Do we really understand how serious it is that we have purposely rejected God?

 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. John 3:20

but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

This describes the result of refusing to honor God. When man turned from God in favor of darkness, everything about him was affected, the base of which is the mind and the heart. 

Futile (also translated vain) - useless, ineffective, not capable of producing results

     The gr translation also indicates wicked, idolatrous 

Man - in attempt to justify his actions - has become ineffective, useless, not capable of glorifying God, which is a purely wicked and idolatrous result. This, in turn, affects the heart - which has become a heart of stone, foolish and dark. Foolish indicating wicked, without understanding.

We have to realize the utter sinfulness of man (if that is even possible) to properly appreciate what was accomplished and given to us through Christ on the cross (I know that's not possible)!

While it may seem that this turning from God is being played out more and more in our society, we need to realize that this has been going on since the fall of man in the garden. Man, in his sinful fallen state, has always chosen (and will always choose) darkness over glorifying God. Man, in his sinful and fallen state, has always chosen (and will always choose) to ignore the evidence of God. 

I have quoted Psalm 14, I think it does the best job at describing the absolute sinful nature, the total depravity of fallen man.

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD? There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. You would shame the plans of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. 

Psalm 14

Let's spend some time meditating on how truly and justly condemned we really were in our lost state, and how amazing God's gift of salvation is to pull us from what we thought we really wanted and give us what we really need! 

I look forward to any shared wisdom on this topic!

Romans 1:19,20

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.

This is the sin that man, in his lost state, continues to pursue...the sin of suppressing the truth that was explained in verse 18. It's important to recognize that it is the nature of fallen man to suppress the truth that brings to light his utter sinfulness - in any way possible.

Here, Paul explains just how visible God actually is in the world around us:

For what can be known about God is plain to them

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived

From these two lines, we can draw the conclusion that God is not hiding who He is from mankind. He has made it very evident...His eternal power and divine nature are plain, and clearly perceived... "ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" - the attributes of God have been visible from the beginning in His creation.

While this is condemning for lost man, it should be very encouraging for us as Christians. How comforting to know that as God gives us the gift of faith, and gives us the ability to see clearly without the desire to suppress the truth, we will begin to see Him throughout His creation!

Even science, while used in part by lost souls in a futile attempt to explain God through theory, is a testimony to who God is. The proven laws of science (ex. gravity) are simply God revealing His eternal power and divine nature to us through His creation.

Could there be a more obvious suppressing of the truth than that of men using what God has revealed through science to try to prove this very God does not exist?

Since God has made His attributes plain to man, and they are able to be clearly perceived through His creation, man is justly condemned for his purposeful suppression of the truth in pursuit of darkness, "So they are without excuse."

As Christians, let's look for God everywhere! In every nook and cranny of His creation, especially in the areas where man has attempted to hide Him the most. He is everywhere, and He is not hiding! The more we look for His attributes, the more we will see Him, and I believe our faith will be strengthened. Also, pray for those who continually suppress the truth in an effort to justify their behavior. 

Where have you seen God's attributes made clearly visible? How has God used His creation to make plain who He is and what He is about? Has this strengthened your faith? I look forward to learning and growing from your comments and wisdom.

Romans 1:18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

unrighteousness/ungodliness: wicked; sinful; evil...not in accordance with right or justice; unfair or unjust...not accepting God.

This describes the nature of man. Left to our own human desires, we are ungodly and unrighteous - to the point that we actually attempt to hide or suppress any hint of truth or light in pursuit of darkness. It seems that we pile sinfulness on top of sinfulness in order to obtain and justify our desires. 

In an attempt to justify our actions as lost souls, we like to think that we aren't actually evil, we definitely aren't as bad as the murderer on the news. In God's eyes, however, anything short of perfect righteousness is by default unrighteous, ungodly - and all ungodliness and unrighteousness is deserving of the wrath of God.

We tend to think of the wrath of God as a disaster that causes human suffering or loss of life. These things affect us in a negative way, and it is easy to "blame" God for them. There is another type of wrath, however, that is much worse and much more subtle to man. This wrath is the result of God pulling back from His creation, allowing man to pursue his sinful desires into utter darkness, where Satan reigns. 

          This wrath is hard to recognize, because it is God giving sinful man what he wants.

We will see in more detail the way that man suppresses the truth and the lusts cause man to suppress the truth in pursuit of darkness in the verses to come. 

From this verse alone, however, we can see that man, in his unrighteousness, chooses to suppress the truth of God - and all ungodliness and unrighteousness is subject to the wrath of God. Thankfully, Jesus, in His perfect righteousness, accepted this horrible wrath of God on our behalf. He took the punishment so that we could be reconciled to God, so that we would not be slaves to the sinful nature and its lusts that attempt to drive us away from God, into the realm of Satan. 

Of all the things to be thankful for this season, the gospel message should be first on our list! Without it, we would all be stuck in the mire of sinful pursuits, without any hope of being rescued!

  Take a minute and thank God today for His amazing plan of salvation for His rebellious creation

Romans 1:16,17

 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

Have you ever been in a situation involving an unbeliever - a coworker, a friend, a family member, or someone you just met - and you knew they needed to hear the gospel, yet you held back? What was the reason you held back...were you unwilling or restrained due to fear of shame, ridicule, or disapproval from this person? I have been in this situation, and sadly, this is what it means to be "ashamed of the gospel."

                                         "For I am not ashamed of the gospel"

Previously, Paul said he was eager to fulfill his responsibility to preach the gospel in Rome. Now he clearly states that he is not ashamed of this gospel, and he explains why - he knew what it did and what it contained. It brings eternal life to all who believe, and it reveals the righteousness of God - the Father who adopted us - the Dad that we love with all of our heart mind and soul!

This gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, contains the righteousness and power of God, and is available to everyone who believes it. Do we really get this? Do we really understand the power that is within the gospel message? Its so much more than stories about Jesus, so much bigger than church, so much deeper than we can fathom. It carries the power to transfer a soul from eternal darkness to eternal life!
 
While we do need to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit when sharing the gospel, His timing is perfect, we must never withhold the good news of this amazing and powerful gospel based on how we think it will be received. The fear of shame and ridicule due to the gospel are selfish emotions, rooted in pride. The last thing we should ever do is prevent the spread of the gospel due to our prideful nature.

from faith for faith
The power of the gospel is made manifest through the gift of faith. Putting trust and confidence in God, who He is and what has been accomplished through His Son, this is the foundation of eternal life. Through faith, we are able to clearly see the gospel message, and this now determines how we live... as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

                                   How Great is our God!

 

Romans 1:14,15

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.  So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

obligation (as translated in the King James "debtor"): means to be an ower, a person indebted, a transgressor.

Paul saw himself as "in debt" to his fellow man, he owed them the opportunity to hear this saving gospel, that had been freely shared with him by God. This paints the picture that we are not to ever see ourselves as better than any other soul on this earth for having been given the gospel. We are to see ourselves as having been given the responsibility to share a free and amazing gospel.

There are two categories of people described in this passage:
Greeks/wise: this category would have included the higher up, well educated, prestigious class.
barbarians/foolish: this category would have included the uneducated, the "outcasts" of society

The point of including these two categories is that we can't set limitations on who should have the gospel made available to them. (Romans 2:11 explains that God does not respect the status of a person) Paul saw himself as under obligation to all people, we need to see ourselves the same way. We must not be limited to our family, our close friends, or our church. While these are important, they cannot be where our outreach stops.

We need step out of our comfort zone and reach deep into the dark, cold, unstable world that is under the influence of the devil, in order to establish relationships with these hopelessly lost souls. Relationships that will make visible the power of God in our life, relationships that will bring
1 Peter 3:15 to light "...always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..."

We are often encouraged in church to "love the lost to Christ." The only way to do this is to build solid relationships with the lost and allow the power of God's love to be revealed.

"So I am eager to preach the gospel" This command to spread the gospel should not be perceived as burdensome, but instead an undeserved privilege that we should be eager to take on. We have been given the free and amazing gift of salvation, and our desire should be to spread this great news, this gospel of God, to as many as who will hear it. This is our purpose, this is when God is most glorified in us.

This is urgent, and I pray that we all will take this to heart. We MUST build these relationships outside our "comfort zone." Please make this a priority, I will as well: look for someone in your life - beyond your family, close friends, or church, (think workplace, old acquaintances, maybe even family that you don't know very well) and begin to look for opportunities to build a relationship with them. Have them over for dinner, go shopping together, go grab lunch somewhere, go catch a flick. Then pray that God will work in this relationship!

Romans 1:11-13

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you -- that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.   I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 

Paul shares two reasons he was intent on visiting the church in Rome:

Reason #1:
"that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you." Paul wanted to visit Rome and help them grow spiritually, especially in their faith "that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine." and he fully expects to be encouraged by their faith, which he has already heard great things about.

Hebrews 10:24,25 commands us "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."  We must take advantage of the opportunity to meet together as the Body of Christ, whether it be church, a bible study, a small group or potluck, or any time spent among fellow believers. This is not solely for our benefit, but just as importantly that we could be used by God to lift up and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Satan is most effective when he is able to separate a child of God from the body of believers, and attack that child while they are alone. It is crucial that we build relationships with other believers, that we build a network that reaches beyond our local church, that is not limited by denominations or personal preferences, so that we can all be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

Reason #2:
"in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles." I believe that here Paul is speaking of spreading the gospel in Rome, and watching God bring new converts to Himself. This is our calling, and should be our objective no matter where we go. The only reason God leaves us on this earth once we have been saved is so that we can be used by Him to  further His kingdom, which is ultimately for His glory.

If we could ever truly wrap our minds around this, we could begin to see our every day life from a different perspective. The world around us becomes our mission field, and are able to focus more on being used by God rather than living for ourselves. -

Jesus tells us in Luke 10:2 "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." - this is our mission, and we are to pray earnestly about it, we are called to be used of God to reap a harvest of new converts that will bring glory to our God Almighty!

Romans 1:9,10

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 

How often do we get up on Sunday morning and go to church because it's just what we do on Sunday mornings?  How often do we read the bible at any given time because that's what Christians do? How often do we pray before meals or before we go to bed because that's what Christians do?

I think Paul has laid out a challenge for us here - he serves God with his spirit in the gospel of His Son...this means with all of his heart. Paul didn't play church. He didn't spend time doing the "right" things because gave him a warm fuzzy feeling or because he wanted to look "Christian." Paul started churches, did the "right" things, and looked "Christian" because that is what happens when we serve God with our spirit, with all of our heart! Our focus must be on God alone, not our performance. Godly performance always follows a strong relationship with God through Christ!

This second part has been very convicting for me lately and I need it. Paul writes to those in Rome that he mentions them always in his prayers...last post I mentioned Paul's thankfulness for those in Rome and this ties into that thought. Paul mentions his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ always in his prayers. For good measure I thought I would include some other places Paul has this same passion for God's church:

1 Co 1:4  I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus

Php 1:3,4 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy
 
Col 1:3  We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you

1Th 1:2  We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers 

2Th 1:3  We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly...

Paul was passionate about praying for those who were serving God along side him. We need to pray that God will fill us with the same passion for each other. We should be in prayer throughout each day for our brothers and sisters in Christ...lifting up those who are in the midst of trials and thanking God for ALL of His children that we will get to spend eternity with. This MUST transcend denominations, cultures, and countries.

In light of the recent election, and the fist that America shook at God, we need now more than ever in our lifetime to pull together as the Body of Christ, praying for each other without ceasing! Please take some time today and pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ, thank God for them and pray that we would continue to build relationships that will be to the glory of our Almighty God!

Romans 1:8

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 

Thankfulness:
30 days of thankfulness, the "theme of the month" - this is a good thing. It's always good to take a step back and count our blessings, appreciating what God has done in our lives. Paul has given us something to be thankful for and we need to take note. Paul is thankful for the Christians in Rome. How often to we thank God for the brothers and sisters in Christ that He has placed in our lives?

It is very easy to underestimate or forget how much of an influence those around us have on how we approach this life. We need to be so thankful for fellow Christians that encourage us in our walk, and it's our responsibility to encourage those around us as well. Hebrews 10:24 says "let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works"  - a command that we cannot ignore. This requires dying to self daily and focusing on others, an act that is vital to glorifying God.

The Thanksgiving holiday is a good yearly reminder to step back and be thankful, I pray that all of us would take some time and thank God for the Christian influences in our life, and pray for strength and wisdom to lift up and encourage those around us, for His glory!

Prayer:
Paul includes the phrase "through Jesus Christ" in this verse, indicating that Jesus Christ has something to do with his interaction with God. This is an important reminder that the only way we are able to approach the throne room of God in prayer is due to the fact that He sees us as sinless and righteous in His presence, attributes that we have been freely given by Jesus Christ through His sacrifice. It is through Jesus Christ that we approach God.

Faith: 
 "your faith is proclaimed in all the world" - Wow! What a high bar that has been set! These Christians, living in a very corrupt Rome, did not sway according to what was going on around them. They didn't attempt to fit in by allowing worldly influences to erode their faithfulness to God, and as a result they lived in stark contrast to the world around them. Because of this contrast, the faith they lived out was recognized by people around the world, Christians and non-Christians alike. This was an awesome encouragement to fellow Christians, but must have made them an easy target for persecution by the Pagans they interacted with on a daily basis.

God is glorified most when Christians live out a life of faith in the midst of trials and persecution. This allows the power of God to be made manifest. We are, and have been, entering a time in the United States of America where God being pushed aside in an attempt to satisfy a sinful craving for self. Greed and materialism are tools Satan is using to fill this craving, and it as affecting everything around us - schools, jobs, churches. We have an opportunity to live in stark contrast to the world. Pray that God will reveal the schemes of the devil to us so that we will not be swayed, and that our lives, lived in faith, will be a witness of the power of God- to the praise of His glory!