InReView Part 2

Honest thought: I did get a little nervous once we started Bible study that those few verses would throw someone off and make them not like God. Because, I discovered, when I first read this section I was not in a place to understand its meaning. I was in a place where I was very angry with God. I was mad that Paul would say that my God, who had recently started bringing me close to Him, would abandon people in the manner. My God would never abandon anyone, right, He has never ending patience, right?

Just because He let them do what they wanted, as in, He didn't make them robots to His will, doesn't mean he wasn't waiting earnestly for their return; He, God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, is waiting for you as well.

During the study last Tuesday, my husband mentioned a thought I hadn't come across before; he mentioned that we were the people Paul was referring to in verses 18-32. Uhg, what a feeling; shame, hurt, embarassment, self-pity, anger, pride, humility. I had just been told that I had done something wrong, and wanted nothing more than for it not to be true. With every decision I make, if I am not choosing God over everything else, if I am not cherishing His glory, I am choosing to sin, and, justly so, God's wrath was upon me.

Good news after that? YES! This week, I got the... privledge... to teach on these exact verses. I honestly didn't know where to begin in preparation because I still didn't exactly know what was going on. Until last week, I thought these verses were referring to some people group in particular that had purposefully done something terrible against God. I simply Googled "Romans 1:18-32" and ended up at John Piper. A few sermons and several hours later... wham. Well it was more like, instant wham, and then more wham about every five minutes following.

Rough analogy of the purpose of 18-32: One day, as you think you were minding your own business, someone picks you up and takes you to court. When you get these, the judge says that you are free to go. Well, great. I was free two seconds ago before I was dragged in here. So, thanks?

How are you supposed to be thankful that you are set free when you don't know the charges that brought you before the judge or the punishment that those charged would have incurred? Paul is using the first several chapters of Romans to show the charges against us, prove that they exist, and tell us what our punishment should be. We have all seen the truth of God, and, we have all suppressed it. This truth is so humbling (that we should glorify Him, and not ourselves, and that we should thank Him for everything, and not take credit for ourselves) and so uncomfortable (that we are all flawed, proud, selfish, and rebellious and need of what the Bible calls salvation). This unrighteousness, this supression, this sin, is why God's wrath is against us. We don't have, and will never be able to achieve on our own, the righteousness to have God's favor; that is, we will never be righteous on our own, and therefore will never not want to supress the truth of God, and ergo, we bring God's wrath upon us. Paul continues in these first chapters of Romans to prove that both Jews and Gentiles (those who aren't Jewish) are under the power of sun and are guilty before God.

Oh yes, now to the Good News. The point of saying that you were guilty is to help you understand and cherish the good news that the charges are dropped. Knowing the extent and fairness of the wrath of God because of the condition of your heart and you sin will cause you to undertand, love and share the good news about Christ - the Gospel - that Jesus was God's son who lived, died, and was raised to life to be the sacrifice for our sin.

This is why Christianity is good news for people who know they are sinners and who want to get right with God, walk in fellowship with Him and have eternal life; it is God providing for us in Christ what we can never provide for ourselves, namely, righteousness good enough to have God's favor. And with that righteousness there is no wrath or condemnation on us anymore. God has a great desire to save people from sin and fear and death and judgement. And so God freely gives us the gospel - the good news- if we stop depending on ourselves and start trusting in Him.You can be thankful and joyful before God gives grace to people who hate their pride and are broken because of their sin.

So that is my prayer. That God leads you to repentance, which means that you have a profound change of mind and heart so that you hate sin and hipocrisy and turn to Jesus in humility and faith and say, "You are my only hope". Reading over these verses is not a bad thing; repeated discovery of our own sin brings godly grief which produces repentance and leads to salvation and brings no regret. Trust Him for all the promises of forgiveness and help and life that he brought when He died and was raised. They belong freely to everyone who believes in Him.