Romans, Part 3, Romans 1:18-32

This section of Romans shows the depravity of mankind apart from Christ's payment for sins.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

This is an ongoing series, so to speak. Ideally, it would be great to get through all the epistles. We talked about just reading them, but it's very difficult to read them alone because we typically lack uh the reading skill in reading these scriptures of a new type of life. So it's it has its own terminology. Um we're going to be looking at these epistles for sure Romans, but we'd like to do all the epistles just so you know. Uh but these were penned by the apostle Paul, who was the apostle to the nations of the world. So he was writing to the saints back then uh it in specific areas, like we're reading the book of Romans. So he's writing to the saints in Rome, as we've seen from chapter one already. As the appointed apostle, he's the one to make known this gospel message to the saints. So he wrote these letters systematically to make this gospel known. Like if you could say there's a beginning and an end, if there is such a thing, the whole package of it. So he made sure that these letters were preserved. Uh best we understand, they were written on animal skins according to the close of 2 Timothy, his last letter, so that they would be preserved. That's the best way to preserve this, and then they were hand copied and hand copied again, and they kept being making copies from these to get this message out to as many people as they could back then. So we still have the the same message today in essence. It's not word for word, of course, different language, but it's it's the essence of the gospel. How do we know this? Because it's the message of the gospel is what Christ has done for us, which we saw in chapter one, verse three. The gospel is concerning or about Jesus Christ our Lord, it's about Him. So, what did He accomplish for mankind? Uh, what was produced by all that accomplishment of redemption? That's what the gospel's about. So Paul makes this known in these letters. So this is again a series, and we are looking at letters. They are not documents, uh schematics of what to do and what not to do. That's what they're not. They're letters written to these saints to wake them up to the gospel message. Uh, at least a little more. Okay, at least. So uh we started, of course, in Romans 1:1, and we've put the title on this um reading for understanding, and specifically Romans right now. Reading for understanding. That's why we're bringing out points that help you understand this, like they're letters, they're not you know schematics of what to do and what not to do. Okay. Um, another thing is when you're when you're reading this, knowing that it's a letter, there are some personal things to the saints back then, as well as things that are general to all the saints, you know, for all of time. So we address this like in chapter 1, verses 8 into verse, uh beginning of verse 16, he's addressing personal points to them. Then he goes into the core message of Romans, which is just as true today as if it was written yesterday to us today, all the way to chapter 15, verse 14, and then handles some personal stuff again. So, because it's a letter, you have to think of it as a letter. So he addresses, we're going to get to in chapters two and three, he's bringing up points in a way that uh they were posed problems as slander against the gospel, and he's addressing those. So if you understand that, you get a lot of insight as to what he's talking about. If you don't understand that, you will not get the insight necessary. So this is one big thing to understand. He's addressing points uh and that were brought up back then that many of those are still relevant today. Like uh water uh baptism into Christ, talking about you know being baptized into Christ. This is a way to communicate in their culture because baptism was a big part of their culture. Uh, the word bapt baptize just simply means to you know immerse into something, and then the thing immersed comes out with the qualities of what it was immersed into. That's the technical definition of it. But they it talks in Luke about them baptizing pots and pans, meaning they wash them in water. Water represents cleanliness. So they said they baptized them. So if you understand that concept, when you get to Romans 6, it makes a lot more sense. So we're reading a letter that was written back then, so it incorporates some of their culture, so it really helps to understand some of these points like baptism. Okay, so we've gone through various other points. Uh, one of them is who is it written to? This letter is written to saints that were in Rome at that time. So there's things that were uh again personal to them, right? But those sections you can see, oh, it's written to them for the purpose of them. Then you get to chapter one, verse 16 that says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, right? And you say, Oh, that's relevant to us today. So we're looking for those things that are relevant to us today, primarily, okay? But when you're in a section that's not, what is in there that you can glean out of there? Is there anything that's helpful for your walk with God? And sometimes there are things that's help that are helpful. I brought up the point of Paul said uh in uh last week that he desired to come to them, right? To visit them. He had that desire. He is not trying to come to Visalia. But what is what does that mean today? Well, it'd be great if uh leadership, those that understand more of life in Christ, visit the saints and help them with it. That'd be a great point to get out of that. So there are things, even though it's personal in some sections, that you can glean out of it that's that's helpful to us today. Okay, so um, another one is we talked about context. Uh every verse, every point has to fit in its context, right? Um, and then there's another point that was brought up was looking at the key words and phrases. There, there are key words, for example, in chapter one, verse five, um, it speaks of, well, I'll just read the verse. It says, Through whom, Jesus Christ our Lord, we received grace and apostleship unto obedience of faith among all the nations, right? Obedience of faith. This word faith shows up a lot of times in the book of Romans. What does it mean? Right? It's a key word to understand. And actually, this phrase obedience of faith is a key phrase because it not only opens Romans here, but it closes the book of Romans in chapter 16, verse 25. So to see phrases and and words that stand out to you as key ones, make sure that you understand what those are are talking about. You know, what's your first step to understand it? Yeah, look it up, ask God in the process of looking it up. Yeah, ask God uh because he wants you to understand this more than you want to understand it. Okay, so uh and then look it up because you'll see things in there when you look it up that will help you and help God show you what it's talking about. Okay, so with that, we've gone through chapter one, verse 17 so far, but because verses 16 and 17 are almost like the subject of Romans, we're gonna start with those and then move into verse 18. Okay, so verse 16. Uh, someone want to read verses 16 and 17?

SPEAKER_03 8:32

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith, as it is written, but the righteous shall live by faith.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Okay, there is so much in these verses. We tried to cover quite a bit of these points uh on our last time together, but I need to bring out uh another point. It says to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The word Greek means the Greek-speaking world, referring to the Gentiles. At that time, it was uh the dominant language in the Roman Empire was Greek. So he's he speaks of these two groups, Jew and Greek or Gentile. And if you don't understand the background of these two groups, you will also miss points. So the word Jew uh refers to the nation of Israel, those who were the of the nation of Israel, which were God's chosen people under the old covenant. Okay, God had promised that the Christ was going to come through their lineage, and he did, right? He was born under the tribe of Judah, right? So he was born in their lineage. So the Jews were given the law of Moses to keep it says to keep them alive uh till the Christ came. Okay, then there's no need for this separate nation anymore in that regard. So uh then you have all the other nations. So to help you better understand this, hold your place here. Look at Galatians chapter 2, Galatians chapter 2. And again, we're mostly reading out of the ASV, the American uh standard version. But in Galatians chapter 2, ahead of me, you want to read verses 7 and 8. This this is the two ministries of the Apostle Paul and Peter. Peter spearheaded the gospel getting to the nation of Israel, and as Paul did to the rest of the nations. So this verse makes, or these two verses make that really clear. Verses seven and eight.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

But contrary-wise, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel of the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the gospel of the circumcision, verse eight, for he that wrought for Peter unto the apostleship of the circumcision, wrought for me also unto the Gentiles.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

See, again, so you have these two groups, the nation of Israel, they're referred to as the circumcision, because that was the sign that they were God's people under the old covenant. Okay, so called the circumcision, referring to the nation of Israel, then you have all the other nations. Well, as Peter was appointed to get this message of the gospel to the nation of Israel, so Paul was appointed to get this message to all the nations of the world. Now, this becomes important because unless you have the background of being an Israelite and knowing that culture, the letters to look at to understand the gospel now become uh the the epistles that Paul wrote for us to understand them. So these kind of things, when you're reading, uh as God gives you a correction, here's another point of reading for understanding. If he gives you a correction with something, absorb that, make it your own. Because when you're keep reading, you're going to see things that God will be able to stack upon that. But if you don't accept it, he can't show you the things he wanted to show you. A huge deal. And that ties into a point that I think of often that uh reading for understanding, remembering what you read. It's important. Remembering what you read, and things will, because we have the spirit of God, God, like Jesus said, that the spirit that was coming back then, um, that we have now, it will teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance. That's what the spirit of God does. So if you are reading chapter one of Romans, you now have that information in your brain, and the Spirit of God can bring that up. Oh, that's why it says to the Jew first and also to the Greek, you know, two times in chapter two, and then again in chapter three. Oh, because he's talking about these two groups. So you have you know the background of those groups, you have better understanding than somebody that doesn't. So remembering what you read. Yeah, Larry.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

One of the keys that should be understood is you're not gonna understand God's thoughts and ways by your own. So in one respect, the smarter you are, potentially difficult it is the other way. But decide how smart you are is really if you're reading the word and letting the Father reveal and not filtering it, because that's another thing. If you filter it through your perspective versus like uh what God says, you're gonna have a kind of a hard time. That's why I love that Romans other than any other book, and I can't think of any other physical other than he defines in in chapter one versus verses one and three. It's the gospel concerns all the other all the other books. But the point is it's not putting your own opinion in it, just literally reading it and letting the father work. I mean, I I've said this so many times, but had you not like let the spirit work and I just listened to your words, I wouldn't have understood it as well. Just listening to Mike teach. Right. I mean, you just you kept saying, Swear to God, swear to God. And I'd listen to the teachings in all these years. But unless I really finally said, Oh, I'm gonna teach it, I wouldn't have understanding that.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

Yeah. Yeah. God God's thoughts and ways are higher, they're more authoritative than our own. So it's it's it's a discipline. Uh, another one of these disciplines is realizing that there were no chapters or verses in the original letters. They were added chapters in the 12th century, verses in the 15th. So it's it's very important because verses and chapters will break up, as we talked about earlier. Um, they will break up the message, the flow of the message as it was intended. So, okay, so we're back to chapter one of Romans, verses 16 and 17, where Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. So then to the Jew first and also to the Greek. But the gospel is the power of God unto. This is God's aim of this gospel, that it is unto. Unto is a word which means it's uh moving in the direction of with the point of entering. That God has aimed this gospel at your wholeness, but he never overtakes our freedom of choice. That's why it says to everyone who what believes. That's our little requirement part. So God is aimed his gospel at restoring our lives to wholeness. This is these this sits in the verses 16 and 17, which are really the running theme throughout Romans and throughout Paul's epistles. So the gospel is God's power for his purpose of restoring people to wholeness. Then it says, verse 17, for because it's explaining, therein in this gospel is revealed a righteousness of God. It's literally the righteousness of God. So this brings up another point. There's two kinds of righteousness, and we handle this in the New Life in Christ class as sufficiently as we think we can do it, but there's the righteousness of God and the righteousness of man. The of, following the of tells you what's the source. The righteousness of God comes from God as the source. Righteousness of man comes from man. But what's the difference? Well, the righteousness of God comes from, as you're going to see or already have seen in chapter four of Romans, when we end of chapter three, also, as we believe the gospel, God imparts that righteousness to us, saying that you're righteous, not by your work, but by Christ's work. When you believe the message, that righteousness is imparted to you. Man's righteousness is earned by him. You do things right, then you're right. You do something wrong, then you're wrong. Right? So God, what he's done, he knew that we did not have the ability to do everything right according to his standard. So he went around us, so to speak. He made this dependent on Christ's work. So these two kinds of righteousness show up throughout the book of Romans. And if you don't understand them, you will be left uh in somewhat of confusion. Okay, so this is speaking of the righteousness of God, verse 17. For therein, in this gospel, is revealed the righteousness of God from faith unto faith. We talked about this before. It's it's literally it's out from faith, out from that source of the faith, referring to the faith of Jesus Christ, unto our faith, or us having faith accordingly. See, in other words, God's saying, This is the way to believe, it's the gospel. I want you to believe it. Right? So as the gospel's made known, then people can rest their believing, their faith on his faith. So out from the faith into our faith, us having faith. Okay, so this shows up in a variety of places. I'll point it out when we get to chapter three. So, verse 17 again, for therein in the gospel is revealed the righteousness of God from faith unto faith, as it is written. And we I pointed out already the correction of this, and I don't know if any of you had a chance to look it up in the Greek, but this phrase in the ASV reads, but the righteous shall live by faith, which is a little twist. It literally from the Greek reads, the righteous by faith shall live. Those that are righteous by faith, they have life. Remember, we talked about Jesus Christ came that we might have life, right? So those that are righteous by faith, they have this life. Those that are trying to be righteous on their own, they don't have this life. You cannot enter it through your own ability. We're gonna see that in chapter three. You cannot enter this state of God's glory, the state of his kingdom, the state of him in any way by your own ability. Because we fall short. So the righteous by faith shall live. That's the way it should read. And if you look it up, this is used three times in the New Testament. It's here, it's in Galatians 3, and it's in the close of Hebrews 10. All of them in the Greek read the way I just gave you as the correction. The righteous by faith shall live. Remember, it's talking about out from the faith is our faith, right? Those that are righteous by the faith shall live. We have life. Okay. This is a springboard. Again, verses 16 and 17 are like a theme running all the way through Romans and through the epistles. Verse 18. For here, here's another key word thing. This many times the translators will translate this word for from uh what is it called? Uh, it's a uh something that is leading you to a further explanation, so it's going to further explain this. So it says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hinder the truth in unrighteousness. So he's explaining out from faith into us having faith. So he says, out from the faith, right? What Christ has produced for mankind. Verse 18, again, on that base, says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. This is revealed as in the present tense. The rest of the book of Romans rests upon this phrase. The first half of verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodly ungodly. And unrighteousness of men. Listen, it's going to show it in two ways, really clearly, that wrath of God is revealed. People get consequences for their uh disregard of God and the gospel. And is revealed the righteousness of God through Christ, where he absorbed all those consequences for us. So both of this, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven for those who are disregarding God in a negative way, and those who are regarding God or submitting, obeying the faith, as it says, we get these great positive effects. For example, just written in Romans, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Right? We've been reconciled to God through the death of his son. You're going to see all these points rest upon the work of God's Son, but we have these great benefits. So the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness in these two ways. The rest of chapter one, chapter two, and chapter three, all the way through verse 20, shows consequences being poured out because of a disregard of God and his word. The next verse, verse 21, and following for the rest of Romans, it dominantly points out the righteousness of God through Christ and the great benefits as a result that God just gifts us with. Astounding. Earning nothing. If there's any deserving, it's deserving for consequences. Bad results. But God took that away. It's put upon Christ for us. The divider line, those who believe. You're on this side of the fence, you get this result, right? Of Christ's finished work. You're on the other side of the fence, you're on your own, buddy, and the picture does not look good. It doesn't look good. So the rest of Romans rests upon this phrase, this one phrase, right? Again, I'm going to start beginning of verse 18 and then read into uh verse 21, which is really a lead-in to the rest of chapter one. So for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hinder the truth in unrighteousness. Hinder is suppress it. They hold it down, they hold down the truth, right? In unrighteousness, in their desire to go another way, other than God. Because, verse 19, that which is known of God is manifested in them. For God manifested it unto them, for the invisible things of Him, the invisible things, since the creation of the world are clearly seen. Isn't that an interesting way to say that? It's invisible, but it's clearly seen. The invisible things, since the creation of the world are clearly seen, it explains more, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. This is referring to the creation. In creation, creation itself is a witness that there's a creator behind it. They know this in so many ways. Anybody that has any kind of insight uh in into anything of creation knows this because you can't come up with the things in creation by chance. Um, they talk about uh evolution, like uh Darwin's theory of evolution. It's it's proven to be an impossibility by every right. There's five strong things, three that are extremely strong, but it's impossible scientifically. Genetic structure that he didn't have the knowledge of, genetic structure. You don't you don't cross right a donkey with a buffalo and get a donkey or something. There's not why don't you see half things anywhere in creation? Because genetics don't work that way. So, how does evolution work from an amoeba to a guy going to a university? How do you go there? There's all kinds of levels of difference of genetics, you understand? So, creation in and of itself, if someone studies the universe, they see there's such an order to this, there's such a perfect balance to this, right? So, all of creation is a witness of God's invisible nature and his authority that's behind it all. So it's clearly seen, it says it's clearly seen, and then you get to verse uh 21. Well, the close of verse 20, it was so so that they are without excuse. There, there's no excuse. Because verse 21, that knowing God, they glorified him not as God. So they knew, they know, they know today, they knew then there's a creator behind this, but they did not want to acknowledge him, right? They glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks, but because became vain in their reasonings, empty in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. That's a process. First, there's a disregard, and then there's a darkening, and it gets darker and darker and darker, and that's why um creation and mankind and the world is in the state that it is today. It's in this um decline that is very obvious when your eyes are open in Christ and not obvious to the rest. So the rest are saying things are getting better. If it's not this president of the United States, it'll be the next one. But things will get better. It's always trying to get better. But honestly, things are getting worse. So knowing God, they glorified him not as God, verse 21 again, neither gave thanks, but be became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And just as a cross-reference, that phrase, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, is elaborated in four chapters of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapters 1 through 4, addressing this point in an expanded way. Then verse 23, and this is where you really see the degradation, and changed the glory of the incorruptible. That's a key word in here, the incorruptible God, one the one who can't be corrupted, for the likeness of an image of corruptible man and a bird's and a four-footed beast and creeping things. So they exchanged, it's a uh word which means something other than. So some other than the incorruptible God, they moved things in the category of corruptible things. So they moved it from God's category into corruptible things, right? Incorruption to corruptible. And it slides worse. Therefore, it says God gave them up. This is a word which means it he put in the in uh he put into the hand of, right? When you read the old testament, Israel was given direction to live under the the old covenant, the the law of Moses. And as they as they moved away from it more and more and more, uh, what happened was it's you can see the way it's written is God's hand was forced. He tried to protect them anyway, tried to protect them any, but they just kept moving outside of this safe corral, and and God was stuck. He had to honor their choice, right? And he did. So God gave them up. And this phrase, God gave them up, is used three times in this chapter, verse 24 again, wherefore God gave them up in the lust, is the word desires of their hearts, not the God's heart, but in the desires of their own hearts. He gave them over to them unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves, for that they exchanged the truth of God for it, should be the lie. He's talking about the lie that the world is formed around, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen. So they turned away from the incorruptible God and brought things into a corruptible category, and they got the result of that. They worshiped and served the created things, and back then it was carved out idols, right? Today it's a little more subtle, but it's it's all there. The created things, right? Cars, houses, spouses, children, uh, parents, rarely. Anyway, but parents, uh uh, you know, money is a big one in the world today. I built this tower or I built this bridge. See, anything that's a created thing that is going to be corrupted because it's going to be burned one day, all of it. Every bit of man's ego, every bit of man's pride, and everything that's a result of those two. It's all gonna go. So God, God's hand was forced because they so turned away from him that they worshiped the created things rather than the creator himself. Verse 26 goes to the next level of degradation. For this cause, God gave them up, there it is again, unto vile passions. For their women changed 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, their desire one toward another, men with men working uncleanness and receiving in themselves the recompense of their error, which was due. See, God's hand was forced to let them go. They wanted to go outside of the crowd, wanted to go out. He's saying, No, stay here. I'm gonna gather you in. Stay here. They kept going out, and he's like, I can't force your hand if you really, really want that. Remember, Israel, they really wanted a king to be like the other nations, and God said, Look, if that's truly their desire, then they need to have a king. But you're Samuel said, But you're their king. Yes, you and I know that, but they want something else, and my hand is forced, and this is what happens in mankind. So they start worshiping the created things rather than the creator being turned away from him, right? Not honoring God for who he is, right? Even though all of creation is a witness, then the next layer is homosexuality. So the the natural purpose of the woman bearing children does not exist. This is an aim to destroy mankind. No children, it stops. It stops, and there's no two men or two women that can produce a baby, and it the whole world knows it, including all of them, they all know it. God, God arranged for man and woman to be married and have progeny accordingly for the ongoing um you know, preservation of mankind. So that's that second level. Then it moves into the third level, verse 28. And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, they refused, they're rejecting. Now they're refusing. God gave them up, there's number three, unto a reprobate mind. So he gave them up in the desires of their own hearts, the first one, the second gave them up in verse 26 to vile passions. Here he gave them up to a reprobate mind. A reprobate mind is one which stands against what's right. To do those things which are not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness and wickedness, covetousness. Now it's giving a very nasty list here, but this is the final step, you know, down in this degradation. Covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, uh insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things. Wow, let's look at the TV, disobedient to parents. I'm not saying TV's evil, I say that's a tool for the evil things to be produced. It's just one of them, it's one of the many. They're unmerciful. By the way, if you know you uh a minister of Christ studying the word, it really behooves you to study each one of these words. But what a seriously negative category to think about for whatever time you're doing it. But it should it needs to be done, you know, if you really want to understand it. I'm not saying the saints just need to hear the truth and accept the truth, right? But someone that is needs to understand the nitty-gritties of the truth, you've got to study everything in it. So, verse 32. Here's where it closes who knowing the ordinance of God, they know the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them, because you know, you have more strength in numbers. So they try to get more people on their page. That's why all these things are pushed in culture, right? That are contrary to God. Social media is a tool, the TV is a tool, the radio used to be a tool, it's not as much anymore. But all these things that are used as tools to promote that which is contrary to God. So, in this, what are we seeing, or what did we see in this chapter one? That the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, and that's what you see in that section. We're going to see it when we get to chapter two. But that's really all we should do right now. Uh, because that's a lot. But we're gonna go into chapter two the next time, and this is where it's it's it's confronting all of mankind who desires to disregard God, to not acknowledge him. Then it's addressing the religious folks that say they're acknowledging him and walking with him, and everyone that says they are knows in their heart they're not, and that's what Paul confronts here in chapters two and then the first half of three. So we'll get to that next time. But uh, yeah, so that's a little bit more on Romans as we're progressing through it. So if I could recommend reading from chapter one, verse one uh through chapter three. I mean, not that you shouldn't go further, but those will really help you understand where we're going from the last two times, this time, and then the next two times. Okay. So, Father, your word is your word, and thank you, thank you, thank you for giving us your spirit so we're not left alone to figure it out. Father, your spirit makes known truth. And we count on you, Father. We count on your spirit working in your behalf so that we can understand what you want us to understand and from your perspective. So we're thankful, Father, so many levels that you've inspired all this to be written. You've inspired us to come into it, you inspire your word to be understood in your people. And Father, the whole thing that's going on and all that's inspiring is you. So thanks for covering us, protecting, guiding, and directing us every step of the way. And Father, I pray that this book of Romans, its truths, get made known in the hearts and lives of your people everywhere, that we can all together with one mind and one mouth glorify you, which is what's due from the very beginning. Thanks, Father. And it's through Christ's name that we pray. Amen.