Romans 1: 20-32

(Romans 1: 20-32)

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

We often confess that God is a God of love. It always moves many people and draws them closer to God. If God was not the God of love, we would all have no reason to seek him, and no reason to come before him. Yet another aspect of God we believe in is justice (wrath). The God of love we often confess is also the God of wrath. In the Bible there are more references to God's wrath than to God's love.

 

God's wrath reveals God's unforgiving righteousness. God can never just forgive sin. Therefore, we must first understand God's wrath and understand God's love through faith in that wrath to understand the true love of God. Those who do not know God's wrath cannot fully understand God's love. In Romans 6, God said that the penalty for sin is death. So God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and judged the world with a flood. The greatest wrath of wrath is the wrath of the cross. God, who was bound to be angry after seeing all human sins, poured out his wrath on Jesus Christ, who was hung on the cross. Therefore, the cross of Jesus Christ shows the God of wrath who cannot tolerate sin, and at the same time shows the love of God who forgives repentant humans.

 

Then why is God angry with humans? It is because of human sin. The sin is that it is sin to leave God. The spirit in man left God because he wanted to become like God. Sin has the original sin of heaven and the original sin of earth. In all original sin, there is the evil of greed. God confined the spirit of sin in the kingdom of God to become human. So humans were born into this world. In Genesis 2:7, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul"

 

The spirit is dead. Because the spirit dies of God, we do not know God. Of course, God created the Garden of Eden (a symbol of God's kingdom), and led Adam to eat the fruit of the tree of life. That is why Adam's spirit came to life and communed with God.

 

God put humans born into the world into the Garden of Eden, but because Eve, who was born in the Garden of Eden, was deceived by Satan and sinned, Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. So, from then on, God made them communicate by clothing them with animal skins, and also through sacrifices with God. However, humans gradually do evil and forget God. So God destroyed all but 8 people during Noah's Flood.

 

God made humans born into the world know God. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, 『He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. But people live ungodly lives toward God. An ungodly life is 『Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 』. The Bible pointed it harshly. It expresses the appearance of those who have left God. The reason why human life is so twisted, disordered and confused is that the Bible says that it is because God has left them alone.

 

The result of God's letting go is: First, he leaves mankind to the passions of his heart, so that the creatures are worshiped more than the Creator. So they don't know God. They live by worldly things. Human beings made in the image of God worship their creatures more than their Creator, because of God's giving away. Therefore, people do not know God and leave their destiny to a creature with no power.

 

Second, God made sinners live in shameful greed. The Bible says that through marriage between men and women, they become one with God. Inability to become one with God is spiritual adultery. The Bible tells us to realize the work of the kingdom of God through the things of this world. However, adultery is overflowing in this world. The culmination of sexual depravity is homosexuality. The Bible shows that there was homosexuality even when Romans were written. As a result, the Bible says they have been greatly rewarded for their wrongdoing.

 

When Romans was written, Rome was the most powerful country in the world. Roman emperors were revered as gods. There was nothing they could not enjoy. Lived surrounded by countless women. Not satisfied with it, they began to make the same sex the object of love. Surprisingly, of the 15 early Roman emperors, as many as 14 were gay. It was also the philosophers who made great contributions to making the Roman emperor a god. It is said that most philosophers in Rome at the time were also homosexuals. The apostle Paul is fiercely accusing them of their sins today through Romans.

 

The third result is that God left them in their lost heart. Because of this, those who have left God have done things that are not worthy. The list of sins is indescribable: Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 』

 

Why do people do injustice and do ugly things? It is because there is no God in their hearts. Because they don't have God, they don't know the God they fear. The apostle Paul is preaching this to remind us that the wrath of God has come right above the heads of sinners. God is not just a God of love. The God we believe in is the God of love and also the God of wrath. God who is angry because God's wrath against human sin is so great and enormous, but God who poured out his wrath on his Son Jesus Christ, God gives sinners an opportunity to return to the kingdom of God. Repent, die with Jesus Christ, and return.