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Jan 20, 2019

Originally Presented on August 13th, 2006. 

Sermon Reading: Romans 1:21-28

 

            The overarching truth stressed in Romans 1-3 flies in the face of the popular understanding of the nature of man.  The widely-held view of man today is that he is basically good.  It is outside influences which corrupts his life.  Romans teaches us that man is not basically good.  On the contrary, he is basically evil . . . a rebel against his Creator. 

            The root of all evil (greed, malice, envy, ingratitude, homosexuality, pride, disobedient to parents) is a deliberate suppression of the truth about God and a failure to honor Him as God.  Which means the solution to evil in the world and in the human heart is a reconciliation with God.  Nothing short of such a reconciliation will alter the corruption of life we see in our land and in our world. 

            This passage displays a structure that is as chilling as it is instructive.  Three times man is seen as making an exchange and three times God is seen as imposing a terrifying judgment.  Man exchanges "the glory of the incorruptible God for an image . . . of corruptible man . . . and four-footed animals" (Rom 1:23);  he exchanges "the truth of God for a lie and worshiped the creature rather than the Creator" (Rom 1:25); and he exchanges the natural [sexual] function for that which is unnatural" (Rom 1:26). 

            After each of these exchanges it says "God gave them over" (Rom 1:24,26,28).  In a frightening judgment God sometimes gives people to their sin.  What could be more alarming than to be given to the dark impulses of the human heart?  The purpose for this judicial action is to awaken the soul to the truth about rebellion against the living God.  Much like Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel, a man's misery can cause him to declare, "Now I . . . praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride" (Dan 4:37).