Romans 1 – 2
As I read Roman’s I learn that Church and commitment were different then. Today the idea of being challenged or corrected is missing from many, if not most, churches today. We go in enjoy the warm up song, the announcements, the worship set of 2 or 3 songs, the message, closing/offering song, with payers sprinkled in during each “set” change. Most of the time we are listening to a watered down message directed to the lowest common denominator or unsaved individual.
Personally, I can enjoy these environments since I tend to forget things easily. I get “moved” or “touched” by a message, go eat and continue as normal. Rarely anything changes in my actions during the week. That is a problem and I assume I am not the only one experiencing this. Paul in his letter to the Church in Rome, he holds nothing back. Sure addresses the good things they do, he is quick to point out things that need correction.
How many of us can make the statement in verse 1:16 that Paul makes:
For I am not the least bit embarrassed about the gospel. I won’t shy away from it, because it is God’s power to save every person who believes: first the Jew, and then the non-Jew.
Take note the conviction, and the key point that he is not embarrassed. How many of us would speak boldly to a critic of God and Jesus? How many of us could boldly profess their faith to anyone they met? How many of us could say I love Jesus when those around them were saying Jesus was just a fabrication by the Romans to make good taxpayers? Personally, a co-worker, Mike K, intimidated me with his devout atheistic views. Only once did we get into it and I had to back down quickly when the Flying Spaghetti Monster was invoked.
Is that what Paul asks of us?? Not at all, we should never be “embarrassed” about our views.
Verses 1:25 – 26 are telling:
24 So God gave them just what their lustful hearts desired. As a result, they violated their bodies and invited shame into their lives. 25 How? By choosing a foolish lie over God’s truth. They gave their lives and devotion to the creature rather than to the Creator Himself, who is blessed forever and ever. Amen.
Why did God do this? Is what we may perceive as God’s “blessings” really a curse? This is critical when you think about it!! Our “lustful hearts” desire money, relationships, toys and pleasure, so when we pray for those and get them we think God gave them to us because they were good. Think otherwise! Maybe when we are “blessed” with that big payout, it becomes more of a curse since suddenly the “tithe” becomes less since they don’t “need” it or your daily devotional gets pushed away from last night’s revelry.
Verse 1:32 give us the choice:
Despite the fact that they are fully aware that God’s law says this way of life deserves death, they fail to stop. And worse—they applaud others on this destructive path
This chapter is a warning not to follow the crowd and do God’s will. This is so hard when we are taught that Jesus fulfilled the Law and therefore we are no longer bound by the Law. Then when we don’t follow it we are chastised. So what is it? Honestly I can’t say with 100% certainty on what or obligation is to the Law. My “uneducated” belief is the parts of the Law Jesus fulfilled were the sacrificial and ceremonial parts. The rest is still valid and we should abide by it.
Now the argument is also made that we are not always punished for our sins, but rather by our sins. Think about it, why would God give us our “lustful desires”? We learn from our “misteaks” and sometimes that having the snake we are playing with bite us. We tend to want to play with the snake again if it’s batted away from us and we get scolded. So really think about those prayers for winning the lottery;-)
Verse 2:9 is interesting in the order of punishment:
Suffering and pain await everyone whose life is marked by evil living (first for the Jew, and next for the non-Jew).
Like before in the salvation order, the punishment is doled out the same way!! At least most of us are on the end!! I wonder if this means the Jew, or the Jew that has accepted salvation in Jesus, but still messes up in evil living?
Lots to think about today!! Read 2:13 on your own and dwell on it.