The Regular Guys Bible Study
The Regular Guys Bible Study podcast -- RGBS -- is a podcast for regular guys by regular guys (not theologians) studying the Bible together. It's brought to you by a couple of goofy guys who just want to study the Bible together and show you that anyone can read and study the Bible. In fact, you SHOULD read and study the Bible yourself. We're here to show you how we do it, and, hopefully, we can have some fun along the way.
The Regular Guys Bible Study
Romans 1
In this episode, we dive into the Book of Romans, exploring the themes of faith, grace, and the gospel's transformative power. Listeners are encouraged to engage with the text, promoting a deeper understanding of their own faith journey and the call to mutual encouragement in the Christian community.
• Introduction to Paul's letter to the Romans
• Historical context and significance of the letter
• Themes of faith and righteousness as accessible for all
• The importance of mutual encouragement among believers
• Discussion on sin, grace, and repentance in the life of a Christian
• Call to action: Reading and engaging with Scripture
• Preview of the next episode discussing Romans chapter two
you are listening to the regular guys bible study podcast, the bible study for regular guys by regular guys. We are your host, ken and steve, and we are just regular guys studying the bible together not theologians.
Speaker 2:Hey, ken, did you forget a setting on your your new uh audio remote app?
Speaker 1:I don't think so. Why you couldn't hear it well? I could hear it, but it was like oh no, okay, there must be a music setting there probably is, and I probably don't have it set right, so I will look into that for next time also, steve, are you getting tired of our intro?
Speaker 2:getting. Who said I ever liked it?
Speaker 1:okay, all right, that's fine. That's fair, because you know, I'm thinking with all the AI tools out there, oh, we could do better. I could probably create, have something created, make it short. You think it's too long right now. Is that the thing I?
Speaker 2:don't think it's too long, is it?
Speaker 1:I don't know I think it's about normal um. You're the podcast expert yeah, I am tell me that's a good point about my expertise. And you took a class. I did have a class I did.
Speaker 2:You thought it would. You thought it would give you class, but you still have none.
Speaker 1:Well all right, so you know I'm I might look into this. I will look into this, and it's possible that the produced version of this will be a different intro and people will not know what we're talking about. They'll be saying oh good, I'm glad they're going to get rid of that crappy intro.
Speaker 2:But it's actually going to be the new intro. I'm sure they don't care about this conversation.
Speaker 1:Wow, man, you're really harsh. You know you're kind of mean. You can hurt my feelings sometimes, Steve. I am a person with feelings. What is that? You're making some?
Speaker 2:facial expression. That was my evil mean face.
Speaker 1:Oh it uh do your normal face and people can't see your face, your normal, your normal face is pretty evil as well. Um, I get stupid and evil mixed up sometimes, so I don't know I get, get it.
Speaker 1:All right, well, as always, guys, what we do here is we basically do a Bible study. We don't have prepared questions. Steve and I will look over what we're going to do. We might take some notes, but basically it's just. The whole point here is that you can read your Bible by yourself. Steve and I are not experts. We are just normal people and we study the Bible. We are going to be going through Romans and this is our first podcast in Romans.
Speaker 1:This is going to take us a while, probably because I doubt we can do it the longest book we've done so far, definitely, and I doubt we'll be able to do a full chapter every podcast, even maybe not even today, so we'll see. Romans is fairly controversial to some people, but there is no controversy in the Word of God. It is what it is, and if you want to follow Jesus, you obey the Word of God. So that's all I'm going to say about that. Jesus, you obey the word of God. So that's all I'm going to say about that. Steve, you have anything you want to add?
Speaker 2:No, I think you covered it all.
Speaker 1:All right, you're the expert, I am, I'm not an expert.
Speaker 2:Remember, that's the whole point Podcast expert.
Speaker 1:Oh, I see, all right. So if you haven't read Romans chapter one, read it, and I think you'll have a lot better time listening to this podcast after you've read Romans chapter one. All right, well, let's get started. Do you want to talk about the history of when Romans was written.
Speaker 2:I reviewed it like a month ago, but I have not reviewed it recently. Yeah, if, you are a oh, and I don't have that version of my Bible open.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay. Well, if you are a faithful listener to our podcast, I apologize for our delay from our last one to this one, but you know, we're just people with real jobs and real lives, so we have things that get in the way. So we had Christmas and New Year's and family and travel and we are back at it now. But I'm sure in the middle of this I know I've got a couple of vacations, uh, a couple of travel times planned, so we'll have a couple of times where we miss. But keep listening, we'll. We will try to catch up and not miss a week, but sometimes we will. All right, yep.
Speaker 1:We try to meet every week. I will read this introduction, because the introduction is from the ESV Bible. But I would like to announce also did I already do this we are going to switch translations for Romans to make it easier to read and easier to listen to, from the ESV to the NIV. Also, the NIV is mostly a word-for-word translation, but it also has some parts where it changes to an intent of translation. So you know it's supposed to be very, very good and I do like it. So let me read the introduction. It says Romans is the longest and most systematically reasoned of Paul's letters.
Speaker 1:Paul announces its theme in chapter 1, 16 to 17. The gospel is God's power for salvation, because it shows us that the righteousness of God is through faith for all who believe. Paul explains the need for justification through faith because of sin in 1, 16 to 4, 25. He then spells out the results of justification by faith in terms of both present experience and future hope. In the next three chapters he expresses his sorrow that many of his fellow Israelites have not embraced the gospel and he wrestles with the theological implications of this. He concludes by describing how the gospel should affect one's everyday life, and paul wrote um. And that's in chapters 12 to 16.
Speaker 1:Paul wrote this letter to rome in about ad 57, so it was a long time ago. It was, yes, a long time ago. Um, let's see, I was reminded of something. I don't remember what I was reminded of. Oh well, let me go back there, let's see. Well, at any rate, this is a letter to Rome, and it's primarily to the Gentiles, but there are Jews in Rome as well, but it's to both, but it's primarily to the Gentiles. All right, yep, would you like me to read the first section? Why don't you do that, steve? Would you like me to read the first section?
Speaker 2:Why don't you do that? Steve Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, regarding his son who, as to his earthly life, was a descendant of David and who, through the spirit of holiness, was appointed the son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead, jesus Christ, our Lord. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake, and you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Christ, to all in Rome who are loved by God and All right. So another difference between NIV and ESV is that first section is one sentence.
Speaker 1:In the ESV, yeah, and it's, it's one, two, it's three sentences in this.
Speaker 2:It's still pretty pretty spread out Pretty long sentences yeah.
Speaker 1:But yeah, that's all right, you're on your your little soap pack. Soap packs, soap box.
Speaker 2:About Paul being a rambler.
Speaker 1:Yes, he's not the greatest writer, but that's, that was he's a rambling man. He's a rambling man, all right. So this is the intro. So what does?
Speaker 2:it say it's actually it's got quite a bit of meat in it, honestly.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It talks about basically that, first, that Paul is an apostle of Christ.
Speaker 1:Okay, and what does that mean?
Speaker 2:Well, there were 12 apostles until Judas did his thing and then the remaining 11 tried to replace him, but I think God had a different plan and meant for Paul to be the 12th instead of Matthias, or something.
Speaker 1:Matthias and Barnabas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think they were the two to choose from.
Speaker 1:Yeah, in.
Speaker 2:Acts. Anyway, you can go to Acts 9 and read about Paul's conversion if you want to see how he was called to be an apostle.
Speaker 1:That's right, yeah, we are all disciples of Christ, but we are not all apostles. And he can claim that he is an apostle because he saw the risen Jesus. Is that basically right?
Speaker 2:It sounds right yes, I think I don't really know the distinction, to be honest.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that you have seen Jesus.
Speaker 2:And spent time with him personally. Perhaps. I think so, yeah. All right Anyway so he was called to be an apostle for the gospel of God. And then he goes on to say the gospel he promised via prophets, through his son or about his son. Then he goes on to quickly talk about how Jesus was a descendant of David, to quickly talk about how Jesus was a descendant of David, which ties back to the prophets and how every prophecy about the Messiah said he was going to come from the line of David and all that goodness which is also repeated in Matthew.
Speaker 2:Right, it goes into a lot more detail. Yeah, about the lineage though, Right, Right. So the thing I found interesting, and you mentioned that you know Paul's here mostly for the non-Jewish, but that tidbit about being descended from David, it wouldn't really matter to them. It would matter more to the.
Speaker 1:Jewish people. That's true. That is true. That would and it. I think it's important that he really. You're right, though, that normally in an intro it's a bunch of fluff. There's not a lot of fluff here. It's a lot of meat. It's a lot of meat and it's talking about how it's already diving into this. Jesus is the Jesus that was prophesied about through the prophets that you know and read and believe. Yep.
Speaker 2:And then it goes on to talk about how, through the Spirit, christ was raised from the dead, which proves that he is the Son of God.
Speaker 1:Right. You know one thing that you know Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, right, but no one is claiming that Lazarus was the Christ, right? So what is the difference here between Jesus raising from the dead and Lazarus raising from the dead?
Speaker 2:The third party that rose from the dead is the dead.
Speaker 1:Exactly, is the Trinity. There was no intercessor between God and the dead person. Who rose him from the dead. This was Jesus and the Holy Spirit and God together, all right. What other meat is in here? The Holy Spirit and God together, all right.
Speaker 2:What other meat is in here? He's basically reaching out to the Gentiles directly and saying that they are called to belong to Christ.
Speaker 1:Yep, that's the last part that I was going to mention, the Gentiles, which is you and me and probably most people listening to this podcast. There might be Jews listening. That would be kind of cool actually, but I don't know. All right, that would be cool, all right. So, uh, and you also are among those gentiles who are called to belong to jesus christ. So so, uh, you know, he's saying to the romans, to the Roman Gentiles you know, I said originally that this is mainly to the Gentiles in Rome, but it's also to the Jews. But this is why I say that. And it says and you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. So that's where I get the fact. That's why I say that this is primarily to the Gentiles, yep.
Speaker 2:So who do you think the we is in verse 5?
Speaker 1:Let's see we, we, we we. I said we we, through him, we receive grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the ah, okay, Hmm, that's a good question, Steve. We, I would say, because he says grace and apostleship. Because he says grace and apostleship.
Speaker 2:I believe that's him and the other apostles. I think so too.
Speaker 1:I don't think it was as clear in the ESV version, but I could be wrong. Let me see ESV. I can switch pretty quickly. Esv says through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name, among all the nations, including you, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:I didn't hear the we in that. We, yeah, through whom we have received grace and apostleship. It's in the same spot, but it's really, I think, the fact that there's just a bunch of commas. There really is only, like you said, only one sentence.
Speaker 2:It's easy to lose track.
Speaker 1:It's real easy to lose track of the objects of sentences in here. All right, I'm going back to NIV so I can understand.
Speaker 2:Well, while you do that, why don't you go ahead and read the next section?
Speaker 1:Are you asking why I don't? I'm just suggesting that. Oh, you're suggesting I do. Got it, I will. But I was going to make a point, by the way, that I actually really kind of wanted to switch to the NLT, but it does not have as good of a reputation for its thoroughness of translation, even though it does have a good reputation. But NIV has an extremely good reputation for its translation, so I thought it'd be safer to go that route. Okay, so, have you ever, do you ever, read the NLT?
Speaker 2:I don't, I don't think I even have it in my app here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's really well done. It is a similar translation in style to the NIV, with a lot of word for word, but they move to intent when things are confusing. All right, this is going to be for Romans 1, 8 through 17. First, I thank my God, through Jesus Christ, for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
Speaker 1:God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times, and I pray that now at last, by God's will, the way may be open for me to come to you.
Speaker 1:I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong, that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you but have been prevented from doing so until now, in order that I might have a harvest to you, but have been prevented from doing so until now, in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings. So there's more in here about how it's directed, more to the Gentiles than it is the Jews.
Speaker 2:Yes, Like in verse 14, you can tell he's talking to the Greeks Because if he were talking to the Jews, he would be saying Gentiles instead of barbarians as the second-class citizen. Good point, which actually does this translation say barbarians.
Speaker 1:I don't know if it would say barbarians here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it says non-Greeks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this says non-Greeks. Yeah, the ESV says barbarians.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so I was curious what the Venn diagram of Jew, greek Gentile, barbarian, wise and foolish, would look like.
Speaker 1:So you know, what I did you generated a Venn diagram.
Speaker 2:I asked ChatGPT and you know the verbal response it gave me was actually pretty darn good. All right, the diagram it gave me was total crap all right, are you gonna, are you gonna share? You know I would, but it's on my ipad, it's not on my laptop. Are you kidding me?
Speaker 1:I cannot get it. I cannot believe, believe you just did that to us. Why would you do that? All right, go get your laptop. All right, steve quickly got his laptop, while in that I had my laptop.
Speaker 2:It was on my iPad. I mean your iPad, your iPad, all right, so what does?
Speaker 1:your iPad, your iPad, all right. So what does your iPad say? Steve Chat GPT.
Speaker 2:First it described the six groups. I don't think we need to go over that. Then it talked about key overlaps. So Jew and Greek, mutually exclusive categories, as Greeks are Gentiles, exclusive categories as Greeks are Gentiles. And then Gentile overlaps with Greek barbarian, wise and foolish, but excludes Jews, wise and foolish. These are opposites but could apply to anyone, jew, greek, barbarian or Gentile. Then it says place Jew in one circle, place Greek and barbarian in separate circles, both within a larger Gentile circle. Add wise and foolish circles overlapping all other categories, since wisdom or foolishness is not limited to ethnicity or culture.
Speaker 1:So it seems like foolishness they should all. Foolishness should be in the middle.
Speaker 2:But wise and foolish they should all overlap that you almost have to have a donut for one of them, because wise and foolish don't overlap each other.
Speaker 1:That's right, but they can be right next to each other and then the others intersect. I think you can make it happen. Oh, it actually tried to do it.
Speaker 2:It tried to do it, but it gave me like one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ten circles yeah, that's too many circles for the number of people we got and I. There should only be six circles. And then it says here's your updated diagram with one, two, three, four, five, six nine circles there.
Speaker 1:That's much better. All right, All right. Well, anyway, that's not that interesting. I mean, yes, very interesting, all right, Well, anyway, that's not that interesting?
Speaker 2:I mean, yes, very interesting. All right, I'm not sure where I went down that rabbit trail.
Speaker 1:I don't know why we did that, but we did All right. So this it's funny because this is really opposite of a lot of the letters we see. It's funny because this is really opposite of a lot of the letters we see. It had a lot of meat in the intro and then the second paragraph, to me, is not very meaty at all. It's a bunch of fluff. That's right. This is where he says you know, I pray for you constantly. You know, I can't wait to see you. I've been trying to see you but I've been kept from visiting. What do you see in here that we should talk about, steve?
Speaker 2:So one thing that caught my eye is in verse 8, the very first sentence of this group, because your faith is being reported all over the world. Now in ESV it says proclaimed in all the world. And I wonder if this isn't a little prophetic, because it was through Rome that really Christianity spread throughout the world, world via first the Catholic Church and then the Protestant Church, split off from them. So it feels to me like it's a little prophetic.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, I can see that. Yeah, I see that yeah.
Speaker 2:I see that. And then the other thing is in verse 12, that is that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. What does that mean to you in today's—how is that relevant to us today, kent?
Speaker 1:Well, I don't know if it's relevant to us today. Well, no, I think it is. But two things Before I answer that question. I think what he's saying there is not I can't wait to get to you so that I can tell you how to have faith, right? He's not saying that. He's saying you know, I've heard about how much faith you have, and let's encourage each other, and that's what we should do as brothers in Christ together, is you know? I need to be encouraged by your faith, steve. This is one of go ahead, and I hope that I encourage you and others by mine.
Speaker 2:Well, and I think this is an encouragement for why we even have church and go to church or have a life group or Bible study. Yeah, it's to encourage each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true In our faith.
Speaker 2:Otherwise we'd get sucked into the world around us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know my wife and I, we were involved in a church and and home teams. We call them home teams at our current church, we call them life groups. But when we switched churches because of something that because we moved actually is why we we moved houses and we tried to find a church and we could not get connected and that connectivity with people it is the most. I've decided from that experience that even though I'm kind of an introvert, kind of very you know, I've decided that that is the most important part of my walk with Christ is being connected in some way with other believers.
Speaker 2:So Hmm, and what made you realize that? What? What aspect of that being a part Um?
Speaker 1:that is a good question, steve. I'm not sure I can answer that Um.
Speaker 2:I Did you feel like you were wandering away from the faith?
Speaker 1:Well, no, but I did not have daily quiet times. I would not say wandering away from the faith, but I would say not focusing on my daily walk. I'm not saying that I did not believe, but was my daily walk where it needed to be and I would say no. So you know, being more connected with people, with other believers, has really helped me strengthen my relationship with Christ. So now I think you missed one that I wanted to talk about. I thought you were going to go to verse 11. Verse 11 says I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't. How was that worded in ESV?
Speaker 1:Because most of my reading was done via ESV. That's right, because I just told you tonight that we were going to go to NIV.
Speaker 2:That's a good question.
Speaker 1:What is that For? I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you it's almost identical.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, it didn't didn't catch my attention for some reason yeah, so so what is that?
Speaker 1:you know, spiritual gifts are Gifts are peace, patience, kindness, goodness. No, those are the fruit of the Spirit. Oh, spiritual gifts are speaking in tongues, prophecy, teaching, teaching, preaching yeah, there's others, anyway. So this is something that he, I assume you know, if you remember, in Acts, when the apostles would lay their hands on somebody, or they would speak and a tongue of fire would leap from them and they would suddenly, you know, know how to, I mean be prophesying or whatever. So that's what I think this is. I think this is, this is, I think this is um paul imparting some spiritual gift when he is face to face with these people. I know that is, that's just. That might just be me, don't? That's not necessarily what this is saying, but that's how I take it.
Speaker 1:Or he's going to teach them how to teach. That's lessons in teaching. That's not a spiritual gift, is it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, true. So yeah, spiritual gift has more of a supernatural power to it.
Speaker 1:Yes, which I don't know. If you've ever taken the spiritual gift test, I know at my Baptist church a long time ago, they would give us these spiritual gift tests, which are basically personality tests. Yeah, and not spiritual gifts. I mean, it's like, okay, I've always been that way, and if you had a lot of money, of course your spiritual gift was giving Generosity.
Speaker 2:And if you happen to be able to remember a verse or two, you were prophetic.
Speaker 1:That's right. Yeah, all right. Well, anyway, let's move on from that. That was not.
Speaker 2:Well, do it. What Do we want?
Speaker 1:to move on. How long have we been going?
Speaker 2:here Because 33 minutes. We're at that halfway point for what we don't know if will be short or long.
Speaker 1:discussion will be short or long discussion. Yeah Well, are we done talking about that section, I'm not ashamed of the gospel because of the power of God.
Speaker 2:I am not either.
Speaker 1:I'm just reading verse 16. Let's see, let's see, we've only gone for 33 minutes. You know what? I think this is pretty straightforward. I think we can do it. Let's do it All right. So let's do chapter 1, 18 through the rest of chapter 1, starting with verse 18.
Speaker 2:All right, my turn. Yes, your turn all right, my turn. Yes, your turn you. You went to stick your finger on your nose.
Speaker 1:It looked like you about poked your eye out you know, you know when you're looking in the mirror and doing something. So I'm looking at a camera and it's like why it's so easy to just touch my nose, why? Why do I have to look at the camera to see where I'm touching?
Speaker 2:All right, verse 18. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them. Because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world, god's invisible qualities, his internal power, his divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 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 about God for a lie and worship, and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised, amen, with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done.
Speaker 2: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 have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy, 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 All right. So what do you think about that, ken?
Speaker 1:I've got several thoughts. Where should I start? All right, I'm going to share my thoughts on this, steve. All right, I was hoping you would Okay. First of all, if anyone claims that the Bible doesn't say that homosexual sex is wrong, I think right here it does Okay, so that's number one. It does Okay, so that's number one. Now, I do not believe, though, that it is our job to preach against that, and here's why, because that is not the problem, it's not what we're called to do. So why did this happen?
Speaker 2:Is that a real question?
Speaker 1:or a rhetorical one? No, it's a rhetorical. So in verse 24, it says well, no, let's go back Verse okay, no 24. No 25. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the creator, who is forever praised. Amen, all right, that's what it says. That's what it said. We did as people. That's the reason. And then he says because of this, god gave them over to shameful lust. And then he talks about the shameful acts that they did. So he's not saying that people did these awful things. Therefore God punishes. Well, he does say, and received in themselves the due penalty of their error. He does say that, but the reason God has given people over to this sin is because we do not worship Him. Does that make sense?
Speaker 2:It does. But then the question that comes to my mind is what about a homosexual that comes back to God? Is it even possible? Sure it is, even if they continue to practice their shameful lusts.
Speaker 1:I think, if this is, you know, let's not talk about homosexual, okay, let's talk about. Let's say, let's talk about Steve, let's say Steve.
Speaker 2:No, let's not talk about Steve, let's say Steve.
Speaker 1:No, let's not talk about Steve. Let's say Steve. Let's see, I don't know. Let's say Steve. No, I don't like doing this, I don't like doing that, because I'm going to pretend you have some sin problem. Okay, let's.
Speaker 2:And you even know what I struggle with sometimes.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's true, but I won't talk about that. Okay, let's. And you, you even know what I struggle with sometimes. Oh, that's true, um, but I won't talk about that. Okay, let's just talk about me. Let's say, steve and this is hypothetical, it's not true? Um, let's say, steve, that I cheated on my wife. Okay, you did. No, I did not.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, then why do you want me to spread that rumor?
Speaker 1:You know what Jimmy Carter said? He said, yes, because I have lusted on another woman in my heart and therefore I committed adultery. And what is the price? What is the price of sin? Death, death, and actually that's what I was going to say earlier Death, death, and actually that's what I was going to say earlier. There's something called the Roman road of salvation that goes through where different verses in Romans that spell out the whole gospel, and one of those verses is the wages of sin is death. All right. So let's say and so I have lusted after another woman in my heart, okay, that's true, it wasn't in a long time, but, yes, that is true, and I sinned and I repented of that sin. But you know what? Did I do it a second time after that? Probably I'm going to say probably okay, because especially in my younger days you know I'm a fool I think people struggle with sin and there are people who suffer with same-sex attraction, you know, and I feel for those people because— that's got to be hard, no pun intended.
Speaker 2:No pun intended, no pun intended. If that's ingrained in their being and then they're called to turn away from it.
Speaker 1:That's hard, yes, but I can tell you this, broken and repentant, after a sin like that, then I kind of doubt that their desire to follow Christ is real, because sin should shatter us inside, you know.
Speaker 2:Have you ever disobeyed your parents, ken? Okay, I mean, it's going through this list and it throws that one in there and you're like well, we're pretty much all in trouble.
Speaker 1:They are gossip slanders God-haters. Insolent, arrogant and boastful. They invent ways of doing evil. They disobey their parents.
Speaker 2:That just that's so out of place.
Speaker 1:It seems out of place. I don't, I don't really know. I think I really don't know what to do with it. Um, it's, maybe there's some cultural significance to that. Um, it is, um, one of the ten commandments, isn't it? It it is so I think there's something in there that we don't fully understand. But one thing I noticed, and I think this is where people don't always appreciate the prophecy of Scripture, and I think there's prophecy in here where they talk about they invent ways of doing evil. I mean, I feel like I see that daily. But here's what I'm talking about. They are arrogant and boastful, and what is the movement called the LBGTQ plus?
Speaker 2:I can't keep track of the letters.
Speaker 1:Well, no yeah, but it's Pride. Gay Pride Isn't that interesting.
Speaker 2:That is interesting.
Speaker 1:That seems like it's a prophecy from here, the arrogance and boastfulness of the sin, and then they also approve of those who practice them. And what's interesting, coming from Paul, what was Paul doing when we first saw him?
Speaker 2:He was holding the coats of those stoning Stephen.
Speaker 1:He was approving the stoning of Stephen.
Speaker 2:He was approving the stoning of Stephen, so he knows what approving the approval of sin is.
Speaker 1:That's a good point.
Speaker 2:All right. So one other thing that kind of stood out to me here is in 26, it says even their women, as if women are somehow more virtuous than men, which, when I think about it, I'd have to give them that credit. I think they probably are. Yes, maybe not anymore, but the lines I feel like are getting blurred the more we venture away from God's will. Yeah, maybe you look at the women in the church. They're so much more driven than the men are, and that's a sad statement of men in the church.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I know that growing up in the 80s and I don't know if this is true or if this was just said, but it was said that men struggle with lust more than women, that men struggle with lust more than women, and I have read, and my children have said, that the amount of porn and that stuff that is engaged by women has increased like dramatically over the last so many years.
Speaker 1:I don't know, but since the internet, so I don't know if these numbers. I didn't give numbers because I don't know them, but I don't know if any of this data is really accurate or if it's just said Somebody said something. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I remember him claiming that men are more visual Right In their attraction.
Speaker 1:That's definitely true. Women are more dollars um more um dollars.
Speaker 2:Making themselves yeah and making themselves visually appealing. I was just joking.
Speaker 1:I was joking, by the way, don't?
Speaker 2:Sure you were Ken no no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1:Um, all right, I don't know what else to say about that. Um, you know, I think we covered it. It's uh, and you know you might not agree with what we said about it, but that's fine, just read it yourself. This is the word of god, it's not the word of ken and steve. Um, read the word of god and go find a pastor to question if you have more questions.
Speaker 2:yeah, if you have questions, you can Ken and Steve, read the Word of God and Go find a pastor to question if you have more questions.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if you have questions, you can ask a pastor, but you know what, if they have to go to a book that's not the Bible to explain how something, how it doesn't say what it says, then question it. Yep, all right, all right.
Speaker 2:I think we're done.
Speaker 1:All right so yeah. That wasn't so long. No, it wasn't so long. All right. So next week then, steve, it's Romans chapter two Romans chapter two. Read it guys, be ready. Yeah, it doesn't look very long. No, it should be easy. The regular guy's Bible study is a chasm LLC production. All rights reserved, see ya.
