Studying Through Romans Part 5

1:24-25 "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen."

This verse really gets me. God hates sin, but He doesn't force people to obey Him. People reject God and continue to sin so He just gives them over to what they want more.

1:26-27 "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their woman exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."


I see this happening in the world today. Sometimes when I read my Bible I am amazed that the ink is already dry (to borrow a line from Corrie Ten Boom in her book "The Hiding Place") I see how homosexuality is rampant in our world. There have even been Pastors caught in the act. There are churches who do not believe it is wrong (I wonder what Bible translation they have). And just as God says, they are getting the due penalty. One of these penalties I see is the spread of AIDS and other diseases.

1:28-32 "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

The last verse reminds me of some things that have been going on. I know some people who have been filled with some of the above things. They have continued in sin and approving it. There have been consequences for their actions.

I think about how many things on this list that I have done. I am as guilty as they are.

Proverbs 20:9 " Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?"

Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

My sins are what put Christ on the cross. I would be a person damned for hell if it wasn't for what Christ did on the cross for me and for you. He led a sinless life.

1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree."

2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us."

It is only because of His sacrifice that our sins are forgiven and forgotten. And we have the hope of escaping our sinful nature by accepting Him as Lord of our life.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Read the story of Christ's death and resurrection in John 19 and 20