Paul's final statement in this chapter about how far removed from God man has chosen to be in his lost state is blunt, a dagger that destroys any hope that man will change his mind and come back to God.
Man knows that the just penalty for the sinfulness that Paul has described in previous verses is eternal death, yet this does not change the desire to pursue these things. We, in our lost state, bury what we know to be true about God to the point that we are able to justify in our minds our decision dishonor Him in search of something else to fill the empty void in our life. If you are saved you know that there is nothing other than God that will fill that void.
But man goes farther than this in his effort to justify his actions...we have all heard the phrase misery loves company...and this is so true here. Not only does man choose to run away from the light, he approves, or finds pleasure, in others who do the same thing. There is strength in numbers, and as long as we can look around and see others fleeing into the darkness we can feel better about our decision to do the same.
As a Christian, it's heartbreaking to think that we would ever approve of our fellow man running headlong into hell. Yet, in our lost state, our sinful nature consumes us, controls us, and destroys us - to the point that we will do anything to feel better about ourselves.
The only thing that can change this is the Grace of God, opening our eyes, bringing back to the surface the the things we know to be true about Him that we have buried, and allowing us to see who He really is. God does this by restoring that heart that He surrendered over to lusts of impurity, by restoring the mind that He gave over to unrighteousness. When God has caused this restoration process to take place, man can finally see clearly this awesome God, and ultimately gravitates towards the light that has pierced the darkness!
Praise be to God who in His grace, love, and mercy still pulls man from the murky darkness that is the domain of Satan, in spite of our kicking and screaming, so that we can enjoy this relationship with Him that we could never deserve!
In closing, I would like to pull some lines from the chapter that we have just completed that touch on some of the points that Paul went over.
...set apart for the gospel of God...
...that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers...
For I am not ashamed of the gospel...
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men...
...God gave them up...
I truly appreciate the comments that were shared as we worked our way through this chapter. I have grown a lot, and pray that you have as well. It's also my prayer that God will continue to lay the things that we have read and studied on all of our hearts in the days, months, and years to come - so that we may all continue to grow closer to Him, to learn more who He is, and how much He loves us. I look forward to digging into chapter 2 with you.
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