The righteousness of God does not come through the Law because we all are sinners, there are none righteous, there are none good, and we all like sheep have gone astray and each one has turned to his own way. Many of the Jews were relying upon the Law (Romans 2:17) believing that they could attain to the righteousness of God through it. However and praise God, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets" (Romans 3:21). If the only way that we could attain the righteousness of God and be saved was by the Law then none – I repeat – none would be or could be saved.
The righteousness of God does come through faith in Jesus (Romans 3:22) because this is the only way that God can give sinners the righteousness of God without violating His own righteousness. Now think about it with me – God didn’t have to save anyone; He could have righteously and justly sent everyone to hell. However, in order to save anyone there was only one way that God could do it and still be true – Penal Substitution. Someone who was willing and able had to live a perfect life fulfilling the commands of the Law and then die in the place of sinners to pay their penalty for committing crimes against the Law. So that Someone was Jesus Christ the Son of God and we read that God did not spare His own Son but delivered Him over for us all (Romans 8:32).
So when we put these two truths side by side – the righteousness of God does not come through the Law; the righteousness of God does come through faith – then we come to the logical conclusion that the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ is only for those who believe – only for those who actually have faith in Jesus because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:22-23).
Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God then all who attempt to attain the righteousness of God some other way or who think that they have faith but not the faith God is looking for will find themselves horrified on the day of judgment. All need the righteousness of God, which is on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ, but not all believe that they need it and not all have saving faith although many believe that they do.
That men are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone has always been God’s only way of saving. All the Old Testament saints were saved this way and all New Testament saints were and are saved this way. While there is such a thing as different dispensations in the way in which God does things – there never has been and never will be a dispensation where men are saved some other way than through faith in Christ. The point of Hebrews 11 is to show that there has never been a means of salvation other than faith in Christ.
But what is a major concern to me, especially in the day in which we live, is that there is such a thing as false faith, even in the name of Christ. Now this has always been true according to the Scriptures but it is also true according to the Scriptures that this will get worse before the return of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).
Today there are people who have prayed a prayer, been baptized, joined churches, and claim to have faith in Jesus but their faith is false. False faith might be faith in good works, faith in a prayer prayed, faith in a denomination, faith in faith, or many other forms of faith misplaced. Many I am sure have head knowledge of the facts about Jesus and confuse that for faith.
But the saving faith in Jesus Christ that the Scriptures teach about is much more than a simple affirmation of certain truths about Christ. One can affirm certain truths about Christ – even His death, burial, and resurrection – and still not love Him and serve Him out of a heart of gratitude for what He has done on their behalf. This means that they have not made proper application with their sinfulness and their need for the righteousness of God that only comes through Christ who loved us and gave Himself up for us.
Those who have a false faith are all for being saved but not for being sanctified. In other words they are all for not going to hell but not all for parting with their sins. These are all for the privileges of Christ but not for being persecuted for Christ. They are for salvation from suffering but they do not desire to be saved from sinning. They would have Jesus as Savior but not as Lord. And yet how can one be saved from hell without being saved from sin and how can one be saved from sin without having Jesus as Lord? Even the Gospel these claim to be saved by, says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
In order for faith to be genuine and saving faith one must see his sin, see his need to be justified by the righteousness of God, and see that it comes only as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. The person who has been truly saved knows for sure that there is no other way that God can or will save and he is thankful to God and to the Lord Jesus Christ for so great a salvation.
God only gives His righteousness to those who have faith and no man will arrive at the righteousness of God any other way.
Showing posts with label depravity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depravity. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Universal Guilt of the Whole World
As we have been studying through Romans, in the first two chapters, we, both Gentiles and Jews, have been summoned into God’s courtroom and presented with the charges against us (that we are sinners) and the evidence has been given which proves our guilt beyond any shadow of doubt. All the Gentiles who did not have God’s Law sinned against the law that was written in their hearts and therefore they would perish without the Law. All the Jews who had God’s Law and sinned against the Law will be judged by the Law and perish with it.
God in His Word has established the total depravity of humanity and the impending condemnation for the unrepentant at the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. This is the bad news – this is the dark and black backdrop against which God will display His shining and radiant diamond of good news – the Gospel.
Having removed all arguments from would be debaters in the first eight verses of Romans 3, the apostle Paul now turned to the last witness – the Law - and the most incriminating evidence given by that witness – God’s all-knowing, all-seeing, and never wrong evaluation of mankind! Here, the last witness summoned to give testimony, gives evidence of the universal guilt of the whole world.
First of all there is the charge (3:9) – all are under sin
Second there is the witness (3:10a) – “as it is written” means that the Law is the witness.
Third the charge is repeated by the Law itself (3:10b) – “There is none righteous, not even one.”
Fourth there is the evidence to prove the charge beyond any reasonable doubt (3:11-18) – this evidence is threefold and involves the whole man and not just part of him – referring again to the total depravity of humanity.
I. The evidence of corrupt character (3:11-12) – depraved will
A. The mind is corrupt – “There is none who understands”
B. The heart is corrupt – “There is none who seeks for God.”
C. The will is corrupt – “All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”
II. The evidence of corrupt conversation (3:13-14) – deceitful words - a person’s corrupt character will manifest itself in corrupt conversation.
A. (13a) – Psalm 5:9
B. (13b) – Psalm 140:3
C. (14) – Psalm 10:7
III. The evidence of corrupt conduct (3:15-18) – destructive ways
A. (15-17) – Isaiah 59:7-8
B. (18) – Psalm 36:1
Fifth there is the verdict (3:19-20) – unredeemed humanity is guilty of all charges and has no defense because God who is true and cannot lie has made His case and the whole world must stand in silence acknowledge that He is right!
God in His Word has established the total depravity of humanity and the impending condemnation for the unrepentant at the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. This is the bad news – this is the dark and black backdrop against which God will display His shining and radiant diamond of good news – the Gospel.
Having removed all arguments from would be debaters in the first eight verses of Romans 3, the apostle Paul now turned to the last witness – the Law - and the most incriminating evidence given by that witness – God’s all-knowing, all-seeing, and never wrong evaluation of mankind! Here, the last witness summoned to give testimony, gives evidence of the universal guilt of the whole world.
First of all there is the charge (3:9) – all are under sin
Second there is the witness (3:10a) – “as it is written” means that the Law is the witness.
Third the charge is repeated by the Law itself (3:10b) – “There is none righteous, not even one.”
Fourth there is the evidence to prove the charge beyond any reasonable doubt (3:11-18) – this evidence is threefold and involves the whole man and not just part of him – referring again to the total depravity of humanity.
I. The evidence of corrupt character (3:11-12) – depraved will
A. The mind is corrupt – “There is none who understands”
B. The heart is corrupt – “There is none who seeks for God.”
C. The will is corrupt – “All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”
II. The evidence of corrupt conversation (3:13-14) – deceitful words - a person’s corrupt character will manifest itself in corrupt conversation.
A. (13a) – Psalm 5:9
B. (13b) – Psalm 140:3
C. (14) – Psalm 10:7
III. The evidence of corrupt conduct (3:15-18) – destructive ways
A. (15-17) – Isaiah 59:7-8
B. (18) – Psalm 36:1
Fifth there is the verdict (3:19-20) – unredeemed humanity is guilty of all charges and has no defense because God who is true and cannot lie has made His case and the whole world must stand in silence acknowledge that He is right!
Friday, May 22, 2009
The Hebrews are without Excuse
As we move systematically through the book of Romans studying the Holy Spirit inspired explanation of the gospel, we are seeing that all men are sinners and that they are rightly under the wrath of God and that the only way that God will save anyone is through the gospel. The reason for this is because God cannot forgive sinners apart from the sinner’s penalty for violating God’s Law being paid by a willing and able substitute. This allows God to be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ.
So in explaining that the gospel and it alone is the power of God unto salvation – that it is the only way that God will save – the apostle Paul went on to show that all men everywhere are in need of the gospel because all men everywhere are sinners that are without excuse before a holy God.
So far in our studies we have seen the charge made and the evidence given that the heathen are without excuse because that which is known about God is evident within them for God made it evident to them and because the creation itself clearly reveals the attributes, power, and nature of God. And yet the heathen suppresses the truth about God and instead of worshiping and serving the Creator they become idolaters which leads to defiled hearts, degraded passions, and a depraved mind.
But now in Romans 2:1-29 the apostle Paul turns his attention to the Hebrew and shows that he also is without excuse because he too is under sin. As Paul has developed the sinfulness of the heathen and established the truth that the heathen rightly deserve the wrath of God, he anticipated a loud amen from the Hebrews – from those who had God special revelation and not just His general revelation. This would be what Paul would begin with to establish the truth of the guilt of the Hebrews and that they too needed the gospel.
In Romans 2:1-5 the apostle Paul gave three evidences that established the guilt of the Hebrews before God and therefore they too are without excuse.
The first evidence of the guilt of the Hebrews was hypocrisy (2:1-3).
A judgmental attitude proves the guilt of people who judge others when they don’t even live up to the standards by which they hold others accountable – and yet the judgmental hypocritical person shows that he or she knows enough of God’s standards to have also made an accurate assessment of his or her own condition before God. If one has enough knowledge to judge others he has enough knowledge to judge himself rightly. This is exactly the warning of Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge lest you be judged.” If men would make it their business to judge themselves rightly and not others then they would see their need for forgiveness, would confess their sins, and receive God’s only remedy for their sin. That’s why the Bible says that if we would judge ourselves rightly then we would not be judged (1 Corinthians 11:31).
But the problem with religious hypocrites is that they want to hold others accountable to God’s standards while exempting themselves. The self-righteous man who knows God’s Law and God’s righteous judgment is amazingly adept at applying it to everyone but himself. The self-righteous hypocrite falsely calculates his own sinfulness and guilt. The word “suppose” means to calculate or estimate. So the apostle Paul nails the self-righteous man (in this case the Hebrew) to the wall and shows him how unreasonable his calculations really are. Here is a man who has the Word of God and can calculate that others are sinners but that he isn’t; he can calculate that God will judge others for the same sins that he commits but that God will not judge him. So we see that here is a man who thinks that God will judge him by a lower standard and show him favor because of who he is. The self-righteous man expects God to show him partiality in judgment.
So those who pass judgment on others and practice the same sins themselves are proven to be sinners because they are proven to be hypocrites. There are sins of the flesh – which were mostly catalogued in chapter one and there are sins of the spirit – hypocrisy which is catalogued here in chapter two. Sins of the spirit bring greater judgment because they are committed under greater knowledge and greater light. Sins of the spirit called down our Lord’s severest condemnations while He was on earth.
The Hebrews were condemning the Gentiles and practicing the very things they condemned in the Gentiles. They thought they were free from God’s judgment because they had God’s Word and were God’s chosen people. However, God’s judgment is righteous and according to truth. He does not have two standards of judgment – one for the Gentiles and another for the Hebrews – so in judging the Gentiles the Hebrews were guaranteeing their own judgment on the same basis.
The second evidence of the guilt of the Hebrews was presumption (2:4).
God had given the Hebrews many blessings and God had been very patient with them and this should have brought the Hebrews to repentance but instead it caused them to become presumptuous. It is not the judgment of God but the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. However men in their sinfulness take the goodness of God as a sign that they are pleasing to Him or that He owes them something.
When we know that we rightly deserve God’s wrath and that He hasn’t given that to us yet but instead has given us His kindness and tolerance and patience, we should be moved to repentance over God’s goodness in light of our badness – and that especially when we see that God in His goodness has given His only Son as an atoning sacrifice to pay our sin debt in order that He can forgive us – while we were yet sinners.
The self-righteous hypocrite thinks lightly of or thinks down on the riches of God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience. This means that because he overestimates his own righteousness, the self-righteous underestimates and presumes upon God’s goodness. The purpose of the kindness of God is not to excuse men of their sin but to convict them of it and lead them to repentance.
The third evidence of the guilt of the Hebrews was unrepentance (2:5).
The person who because of stubbornness and an unrepentant heart, judges others but not himself and presumes upon the goodness of God is storing up wrath for himself in the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Stubbornness translates “sklerotes” which literally refers to hardness and is the word from which we get the medical term, “sclerosis.” Arteriosclerosis refers to the hardening of the arteries and so here the Holy Spirit was speaking to the self-righteous, presumptuous Hebrew as a hard-hearted man who refused to repent.
Much more dangerous than clogged and hardened arteries in the physical heart is the clogged and hardened spiritual heart that has become unresponsive and insensitive to God through the hardening by the deceitfulness of sin. Men with bad, hardened, or stubborn hearts need new hearts – and spiritually speaking this is the condition of all men. This is why we must preach the gospel to all men because this is how God removes the heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh in its place.
To stubbornly and unrepentantly refuse God’s gracious pardon of sin through Jesus Christ is to store up wrath for oneself in the day of wrath and righteous judgment of God. The righteous judgment of God is inescapable and men who are not forgiven through Jesus Christ as their substitute can never escape the wrath of God for their sins.
Self-righteous, presumptuous people have a stubborn and unrepentant heart and although they believe that all will be well with them on judgment day – they are wrong!
So in explaining that the gospel and it alone is the power of God unto salvation – that it is the only way that God will save – the apostle Paul went on to show that all men everywhere are in need of the gospel because all men everywhere are sinners that are without excuse before a holy God.
So far in our studies we have seen the charge made and the evidence given that the heathen are without excuse because that which is known about God is evident within them for God made it evident to them and because the creation itself clearly reveals the attributes, power, and nature of God. And yet the heathen suppresses the truth about God and instead of worshiping and serving the Creator they become idolaters which leads to defiled hearts, degraded passions, and a depraved mind.
But now in Romans 2:1-29 the apostle Paul turns his attention to the Hebrew and shows that he also is without excuse because he too is under sin. As Paul has developed the sinfulness of the heathen and established the truth that the heathen rightly deserve the wrath of God, he anticipated a loud amen from the Hebrews – from those who had God special revelation and not just His general revelation. This would be what Paul would begin with to establish the truth of the guilt of the Hebrews and that they too needed the gospel.
In Romans 2:1-5 the apostle Paul gave three evidences that established the guilt of the Hebrews before God and therefore they too are without excuse.
The first evidence of the guilt of the Hebrews was hypocrisy (2:1-3).
A judgmental attitude proves the guilt of people who judge others when they don’t even live up to the standards by which they hold others accountable – and yet the judgmental hypocritical person shows that he or she knows enough of God’s standards to have also made an accurate assessment of his or her own condition before God. If one has enough knowledge to judge others he has enough knowledge to judge himself rightly. This is exactly the warning of Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge lest you be judged.” If men would make it their business to judge themselves rightly and not others then they would see their need for forgiveness, would confess their sins, and receive God’s only remedy for their sin. That’s why the Bible says that if we would judge ourselves rightly then we would not be judged (1 Corinthians 11:31).
But the problem with religious hypocrites is that they want to hold others accountable to God’s standards while exempting themselves. The self-righteous man who knows God’s Law and God’s righteous judgment is amazingly adept at applying it to everyone but himself. The self-righteous hypocrite falsely calculates his own sinfulness and guilt. The word “suppose” means to calculate or estimate. So the apostle Paul nails the self-righteous man (in this case the Hebrew) to the wall and shows him how unreasonable his calculations really are. Here is a man who has the Word of God and can calculate that others are sinners but that he isn’t; he can calculate that God will judge others for the same sins that he commits but that God will not judge him. So we see that here is a man who thinks that God will judge him by a lower standard and show him favor because of who he is. The self-righteous man expects God to show him partiality in judgment.
So those who pass judgment on others and practice the same sins themselves are proven to be sinners because they are proven to be hypocrites. There are sins of the flesh – which were mostly catalogued in chapter one and there are sins of the spirit – hypocrisy which is catalogued here in chapter two. Sins of the spirit bring greater judgment because they are committed under greater knowledge and greater light. Sins of the spirit called down our Lord’s severest condemnations while He was on earth.
The Hebrews were condemning the Gentiles and practicing the very things they condemned in the Gentiles. They thought they were free from God’s judgment because they had God’s Word and were God’s chosen people. However, God’s judgment is righteous and according to truth. He does not have two standards of judgment – one for the Gentiles and another for the Hebrews – so in judging the Gentiles the Hebrews were guaranteeing their own judgment on the same basis.
The second evidence of the guilt of the Hebrews was presumption (2:4).
God had given the Hebrews many blessings and God had been very patient with them and this should have brought the Hebrews to repentance but instead it caused them to become presumptuous. It is not the judgment of God but the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. However men in their sinfulness take the goodness of God as a sign that they are pleasing to Him or that He owes them something.
When we know that we rightly deserve God’s wrath and that He hasn’t given that to us yet but instead has given us His kindness and tolerance and patience, we should be moved to repentance over God’s goodness in light of our badness – and that especially when we see that God in His goodness has given His only Son as an atoning sacrifice to pay our sin debt in order that He can forgive us – while we were yet sinners.
The self-righteous hypocrite thinks lightly of or thinks down on the riches of God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience. This means that because he overestimates his own righteousness, the self-righteous underestimates and presumes upon God’s goodness. The purpose of the kindness of God is not to excuse men of their sin but to convict them of it and lead them to repentance.
The third evidence of the guilt of the Hebrews was unrepentance (2:5).
The person who because of stubbornness and an unrepentant heart, judges others but not himself and presumes upon the goodness of God is storing up wrath for himself in the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Stubbornness translates “sklerotes” which literally refers to hardness and is the word from which we get the medical term, “sclerosis.” Arteriosclerosis refers to the hardening of the arteries and so here the Holy Spirit was speaking to the self-righteous, presumptuous Hebrew as a hard-hearted man who refused to repent.
Much more dangerous than clogged and hardened arteries in the physical heart is the clogged and hardened spiritual heart that has become unresponsive and insensitive to God through the hardening by the deceitfulness of sin. Men with bad, hardened, or stubborn hearts need new hearts – and spiritually speaking this is the condition of all men. This is why we must preach the gospel to all men because this is how God removes the heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh in its place.
To stubbornly and unrepentantly refuse God’s gracious pardon of sin through Jesus Christ is to store up wrath for oneself in the day of wrath and righteous judgment of God. The righteous judgment of God is inescapable and men who are not forgiven through Jesus Christ as their substitute can never escape the wrath of God for their sins.
Self-righteous, presumptuous people have a stubborn and unrepentant heart and although they believe that all will be well with them on judgment day – they are wrong!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Devolving not Evolving
In order that you and I may properly interpret and properly apply this portion of Scripture we must keep it in its proper context. Any portion of Scripture that is lifted out of its context becomes a pretext and can be twisted and made to say anything you want it to. If we end up with the wrong interpretation then we will also end up with the wrong application and then will have become guilty of twisting the Scriptures to our own destruction.
So to be sure that we don’t do that to this portion of Scripture let’s put it in its proper context: Here the apostle Paul was establishing the truth of why he preached the gospel and nothing but the gospel to every man. In chapter one of Romans, Paul was establishing the truth that all Gentiles everywhere are under sin and without excuse before a holy God and are rightly under God’s wrath. God has revealed the truth about Himself to all pagans both through conscience (1:19) and through creation (1:20) but because all men are ungodly and unrighteous, they suppress the truth that God has revealed in unrighteousness (1:18) and are therefore without excuse and rightly under condemnation.
This truth brings us to a dilemma: How can a holy God forgive sinners and remain holy and just? How can a God who is a God of strict justice; who is a God who will not and cannot lie; how can He release the guilty from the charges without lying? God tells us in His Word that He will not acquit the guilty (Exodus 23:7) and that He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished (Exodus 34:7; Nahum 1:3). So do you see the dilemma: How can a holy God acquit the guilty without lying and while remaining holy and just?
There is only one answer to that dilemma: Penal Substitution – a totally innocent man who has never once sinned against God must be willing to pay the penalty of the guilty by receiving the punishment due the guilty so that God can forgive the guilty based on the truth that His Word has been upheld through punishing the substitute. This is the gospel – that Christ lived a perfect life and as a substitute for sinners was punished on their behalf so that God could offer a full and free pardon, demonstrating His grace, mercy, and love, while still remaining holy and just.
Since all men are rightly under the wrath of God and since God cannot and will not pardon them except on the basis of Penal Substitution – on the basis of the gospel – then Paul stated the truth that he was under a moral obligation to all men to preach to them this gospel (1:14) and that the gospel and the gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (1:16) and it is through the gospel – Penal Substitution – that God imputes His righteousness apart from the Law to the one who has faith in Jesus (1:17; 3:22-23).
So this is the context of Romans chapter one: Paul was under moral obligation to preach the gospel to all men because it and it alone is the remedy for the dilemma of how a holy God can forgive sinners and remain holy and just and because all men everywhere are sinners and are rightly under condemnation being without excuse. From 1:18 to 1:32 the apostle brought the charge that all men are sinners and then he gave the evidence to prove it. This is to establish the truth that all men need to hear the gospel if they are going to be saved – a truth that Paul will deal with more clearly in 10:9-17.
Now we will take into consideration 1:24-32 as the apostle unfolds the evidence of the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men everywhere who suppress the truth. We will see the root of the problem and the fruit of the problem.
First we will consider the root of the problem (1:21-25) – idolatry. This section does not teach evolution (that man started low and climbed high), but devolution; that man started high and because of sin he sank lower and lower. Idolatry in all of its forms is a suppression of the truth of God which He revealed about Himself. Therefore idolatry in all of its forms is a corruption of men’s proper relationship to God his Creator. In and through idolatry man doesn’t honor God, he doesn’t thank God, he doesn’t approve of God – but instead man sets his honor, thanks and approval on that which is not God and on that which God has condemned. All idolatry, not matter what form it takes, is an expression of a stubborn heart which absolutely refuses to receive the truth, love the truth, and obey the truth.
I want to give you at least three categories of idolatry so that you will be sure that you are not suppressing even this truth that God has given but will believe that at the root of the problem all men everywhere are idolaters: (1) idols made by hands (2) idols formed in the mind – god of your own liking and own imagination but not the true and living God (3) idols formed in the heart – god of substitution – love of self, love of money, love of pleasure.
So at the root of the problem is idolatry which is a result of suppressing the truth of God because of wrong attitudes. Therefore man does not properly relate to God by worshiping and serving Him and Him alone – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” is replaced by idolatry and worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.
Wrong attitudes always lead to wrong actions and wrong belief always leads to wrong behavior. So now we will consider the fruit of the problem (1:24-32) – the evidence that man is under God’s wrath and judgment and therefore without excuse and in severe need of the gospel. If man doesn’t properly relate to God by loving, worshiping, and serving Him then neither is man going to properly relate to his fellow man – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” will not be fulfilled but will be violated over and over.
The first fruit of the root of idolatry is a defiled heart (1:24-25) – impurity. Because men suppressed the truth of God and exchanged the truth of God for a lie, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity – God gave them over to a defiled heart. Idolatry leads to all sorts of impurity. Many false religions – say, “Idolatries” – are based on sexual impurities. The Bible declares the truth that sexually impure people dishonor their own bodies – “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Many false religions/idolatries also dishonor their bodies through cutting, maiming, piercing, tattooing, or flaunting their bodies. Underlying the dishonoring of one’s body is the idolatrous attitude that my body is my own and no one is going to tell me what I can and cannot do with it. However, the Christian now knows better – “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Idolatry is at the root of impurity and impurity is one of the fruits of idolatry. In its essence idolatry is improper worship and improper service (1:25). In his sin and folly man turns from God to serve idols but in salvation the order is reversed and that which was lost is restored – man turns from idols to serve the living and true God – “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9).
The second fruit of the root of idolatry is degrading passions (1:26-27) – immorality (specifically homosexuality). Because of men’s suppression of the truth and their incessant idolatry and impurity, God gave them over to homosexuality – that which is against nature. The natural was exchanged for the unnatural and as a result of a defiled heart came degrading passions – do you see any evolution in this?
Here the Bible speaks of a burning desire and it means an inflamed, intense, burning desire for homosexual activity. The homosexual’s desire for his or her sin is so strong that he or she believes that God has made them this way. However, it is their idolatry and sin that has made them that way. In just the same way that God doesn’t make people into drug addicts but they make themselves into such, God doesn’t make people into homosexuals.
There are consequences to sin and some sins have both psychological and physical consequences. Just as the man who tampers with powerful mind altering drugs and after one use burns in his desire for more and more and the more he does the more he harms his own physical well-being so it is with the homosexual. He burns in his desire wanting more and more (he can’t help himself) and harms his own physical well-being. They receive in their own persons the due penalty of their error – an uncontrollable desire and the destruction of the body.
The third fruit of the root of idolatry is a depraved mind (1:28-32) – impropriety. Just when you thought that you might be off the hook and that God missed you in his incriminating evidence He nailed you to the wall with indisputable evidence beyond any reasonable doubt that you too are a guilty sinner in need of the gospel. These verses deal primarily with interpersonal relationships between men. We clearly see the violation of “Love your neighbor as yourself” so that we see that idolatry (breaking the first half of God’s commandments) leads inevitably to breaking the second half of God’s commandments. Idolatry is the root which causes the fruit of our disobedience to God to grow. Is there any hope? (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Penal Substitution – the gospel!
So to be sure that we don’t do that to this portion of Scripture let’s put it in its proper context: Here the apostle Paul was establishing the truth of why he preached the gospel and nothing but the gospel to every man. In chapter one of Romans, Paul was establishing the truth that all Gentiles everywhere are under sin and without excuse before a holy God and are rightly under God’s wrath. God has revealed the truth about Himself to all pagans both through conscience (1:19) and through creation (1:20) but because all men are ungodly and unrighteous, they suppress the truth that God has revealed in unrighteousness (1:18) and are therefore without excuse and rightly under condemnation.
This truth brings us to a dilemma: How can a holy God forgive sinners and remain holy and just? How can a God who is a God of strict justice; who is a God who will not and cannot lie; how can He release the guilty from the charges without lying? God tells us in His Word that He will not acquit the guilty (Exodus 23:7) and that He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished (Exodus 34:7; Nahum 1:3). So do you see the dilemma: How can a holy God acquit the guilty without lying and while remaining holy and just?
There is only one answer to that dilemma: Penal Substitution – a totally innocent man who has never once sinned against God must be willing to pay the penalty of the guilty by receiving the punishment due the guilty so that God can forgive the guilty based on the truth that His Word has been upheld through punishing the substitute. This is the gospel – that Christ lived a perfect life and as a substitute for sinners was punished on their behalf so that God could offer a full and free pardon, demonstrating His grace, mercy, and love, while still remaining holy and just.
Since all men are rightly under the wrath of God and since God cannot and will not pardon them except on the basis of Penal Substitution – on the basis of the gospel – then Paul stated the truth that he was under a moral obligation to all men to preach to them this gospel (1:14) and that the gospel and the gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (1:16) and it is through the gospel – Penal Substitution – that God imputes His righteousness apart from the Law to the one who has faith in Jesus (1:17; 3:22-23).
So this is the context of Romans chapter one: Paul was under moral obligation to preach the gospel to all men because it and it alone is the remedy for the dilemma of how a holy God can forgive sinners and remain holy and just and because all men everywhere are sinners and are rightly under condemnation being without excuse. From 1:18 to 1:32 the apostle brought the charge that all men are sinners and then he gave the evidence to prove it. This is to establish the truth that all men need to hear the gospel if they are going to be saved – a truth that Paul will deal with more clearly in 10:9-17.
Now we will take into consideration 1:24-32 as the apostle unfolds the evidence of the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men everywhere who suppress the truth. We will see the root of the problem and the fruit of the problem.
First we will consider the root of the problem (1:21-25) – idolatry. This section does not teach evolution (that man started low and climbed high), but devolution; that man started high and because of sin he sank lower and lower. Idolatry in all of its forms is a suppression of the truth of God which He revealed about Himself. Therefore idolatry in all of its forms is a corruption of men’s proper relationship to God his Creator. In and through idolatry man doesn’t honor God, he doesn’t thank God, he doesn’t approve of God – but instead man sets his honor, thanks and approval on that which is not God and on that which God has condemned. All idolatry, not matter what form it takes, is an expression of a stubborn heart which absolutely refuses to receive the truth, love the truth, and obey the truth.
I want to give you at least three categories of idolatry so that you will be sure that you are not suppressing even this truth that God has given but will believe that at the root of the problem all men everywhere are idolaters: (1) idols made by hands (2) idols formed in the mind – god of your own liking and own imagination but not the true and living God (3) idols formed in the heart – god of substitution – love of self, love of money, love of pleasure.
So at the root of the problem is idolatry which is a result of suppressing the truth of God because of wrong attitudes. Therefore man does not properly relate to God by worshiping and serving Him and Him alone – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” is replaced by idolatry and worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.
Wrong attitudes always lead to wrong actions and wrong belief always leads to wrong behavior. So now we will consider the fruit of the problem (1:24-32) – the evidence that man is under God’s wrath and judgment and therefore without excuse and in severe need of the gospel. If man doesn’t properly relate to God by loving, worshiping, and serving Him then neither is man going to properly relate to his fellow man – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” will not be fulfilled but will be violated over and over.
The first fruit of the root of idolatry is a defiled heart (1:24-25) – impurity. Because men suppressed the truth of God and exchanged the truth of God for a lie, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity – God gave them over to a defiled heart. Idolatry leads to all sorts of impurity. Many false religions – say, “Idolatries” – are based on sexual impurities. The Bible declares the truth that sexually impure people dishonor their own bodies – “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Many false religions/idolatries also dishonor their bodies through cutting, maiming, piercing, tattooing, or flaunting their bodies. Underlying the dishonoring of one’s body is the idolatrous attitude that my body is my own and no one is going to tell me what I can and cannot do with it. However, the Christian now knows better – “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Idolatry is at the root of impurity and impurity is one of the fruits of idolatry. In its essence idolatry is improper worship and improper service (1:25). In his sin and folly man turns from God to serve idols but in salvation the order is reversed and that which was lost is restored – man turns from idols to serve the living and true God – “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9).
The second fruit of the root of idolatry is degrading passions (1:26-27) – immorality (specifically homosexuality). Because of men’s suppression of the truth and their incessant idolatry and impurity, God gave them over to homosexuality – that which is against nature. The natural was exchanged for the unnatural and as a result of a defiled heart came degrading passions – do you see any evolution in this?
Here the Bible speaks of a burning desire and it means an inflamed, intense, burning desire for homosexual activity. The homosexual’s desire for his or her sin is so strong that he or she believes that God has made them this way. However, it is their idolatry and sin that has made them that way. In just the same way that God doesn’t make people into drug addicts but they make themselves into such, God doesn’t make people into homosexuals.
There are consequences to sin and some sins have both psychological and physical consequences. Just as the man who tampers with powerful mind altering drugs and after one use burns in his desire for more and more and the more he does the more he harms his own physical well-being so it is with the homosexual. He burns in his desire wanting more and more (he can’t help himself) and harms his own physical well-being. They receive in their own persons the due penalty of their error – an uncontrollable desire and the destruction of the body.
The third fruit of the root of idolatry is a depraved mind (1:28-32) – impropriety. Just when you thought that you might be off the hook and that God missed you in his incriminating evidence He nailed you to the wall with indisputable evidence beyond any reasonable doubt that you too are a guilty sinner in need of the gospel. These verses deal primarily with interpersonal relationships between men. We clearly see the violation of “Love your neighbor as yourself” so that we see that idolatry (breaking the first half of God’s commandments) leads inevitably to breaking the second half of God’s commandments. Idolatry is the root which causes the fruit of our disobedience to God to grow. Is there any hope? (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Penal Substitution – the gospel!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Truth Suppressors: The Heathen are without Excuse
The apostle Paul, beginning in Romans 1:18 began to explain the reason that the gospel must be preached if men are to be saved. This is a courtroom scene where the charges are made and then the evidence to prove those charges is given. From Romans 1:18-3:20, both the Gentiles and the Jews are charged as being sinners and therefore this is a case against the whole world so that the whole world may become accountable to God (see Romans 3:19).
The truth of the guilt of the whole world is of utmost importance in establishing the truth of justification by faith and therefore the truth of the guilt of the individual is of utmost importance if he or she is to receive justification by faith. You see, the guilt of the whole world (which means every individual in it) creates a dilemma – how can a Holy God forgive sinners and still uphold His law? Put another way – how can a Holy God of pure and undefiled justice, which demands that the penalty for breaking the law be upheld, forgive sinners and still be just and not a liar?
There is only one answer that will properly resolve the dilemma of how a Holy God can forgive sinners and still remain just in the process – Penal Substitution. Penal Substitution simply means that the penalty for violating the law is paid by a willing and able substitute in order to pardon and forgive the guilty party. This is the heart of the gospel; this is the only way that a Holy God can forgive and remain true to Himself; and this is the reason that Jesus Christ is the only way for men to be saved.
As long as we believe that God can save and is saving some other way besides through the gospel of Jesus Christ then we do not have to be concerned about missions and evangelism. But as soon as we believe God’s truth that He cannot and will not save any other way then missions and evangelism of the genuine biblical sort are absolutely necessary.
Since it is true that God cannot and will not save any other way, the Holy Spirit made it plain that all men are guilty before God and that no one will be saved apart from hearing the gospel and believing the gospel. God wants us to know that the whole world is guilty before Him; that He cannot save apart from faith in Jesus Christ who paid the sinner’s penalty; and therefore we are under obligation to all men to eagerly preach to them the gospel (Romans 1:14-17).
Our text reveals that the heathen are without excuse; that they are guilty before God; and that they are in need of the gospel if God is going to forgive them.
First we see the charge that the heathen are under sin and that they are not truth seekers but are truth suppressors (Romans 1:18). This verse teaches us that not only do men love sin but that they also will not on their own turn from sin. Instead, this verse charges that they suppress the truth – they do not seek the truth, they do not want the truth, but they actually suppress or hold down the truth.
This charge is a serious charge – it indicates that men don’t love what God reveals about Himself and therefore they don’t love the true God. Do you see a problem in that? Well if they don’t love Him they won’t obey Him and neither will they glorify Him nor will they worship and serve Him. This is the essence of sin so therefore the charge that men suppress the truth is a charge that men are by nature and by choice sinners.
Next we begin to examine the evidence that the heathen are truth suppressors and not truth seekers (19-25). Here we see that although men come up with may different forms of religion, it is because they are suppressing truth and not seeking truth. They are fashioning a god of their own making to their own liking. Judging by appearance we would conclude that all the various religions of the world prove that men are seeking God and seeking truth. However the evidence actually points in the other direction – that men are suppressing truth – for if all men everywhere were seeking truth and receiving the truth that God is revealing then all religions everywhere would be based on the same truth. So to say that all the religions of the world prove that men are seeking God then the truth that God has revealed concerning this not only from nature but also from His Word would have to be suppressed (Romans 3:11).
God has given revelation of Himself to all men through two primary avenues:
The inner revelation of conscience (19) – the law of God and His moral code is written on the heart of all men everywhere (Romans 2:14-15).
The outer revelation of creation (20) – reveals the truth of God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature.
With the combined witnesses of conscience and creation, every man is without excuse because every fact shall be established on the basis of two or more witnesses.
Suppressing the truth always leads to idolatry (21-25)
The truth of the guilt of the whole world is of utmost importance in establishing the truth of justification by faith and therefore the truth of the guilt of the individual is of utmost importance if he or she is to receive justification by faith. You see, the guilt of the whole world (which means every individual in it) creates a dilemma – how can a Holy God forgive sinners and still uphold His law? Put another way – how can a Holy God of pure and undefiled justice, which demands that the penalty for breaking the law be upheld, forgive sinners and still be just and not a liar?
There is only one answer that will properly resolve the dilemma of how a Holy God can forgive sinners and still remain just in the process – Penal Substitution. Penal Substitution simply means that the penalty for violating the law is paid by a willing and able substitute in order to pardon and forgive the guilty party. This is the heart of the gospel; this is the only way that a Holy God can forgive and remain true to Himself; and this is the reason that Jesus Christ is the only way for men to be saved.
As long as we believe that God can save and is saving some other way besides through the gospel of Jesus Christ then we do not have to be concerned about missions and evangelism. But as soon as we believe God’s truth that He cannot and will not save any other way then missions and evangelism of the genuine biblical sort are absolutely necessary.
Since it is true that God cannot and will not save any other way, the Holy Spirit made it plain that all men are guilty before God and that no one will be saved apart from hearing the gospel and believing the gospel. God wants us to know that the whole world is guilty before Him; that He cannot save apart from faith in Jesus Christ who paid the sinner’s penalty; and therefore we are under obligation to all men to eagerly preach to them the gospel (Romans 1:14-17).
Our text reveals that the heathen are without excuse; that they are guilty before God; and that they are in need of the gospel if God is going to forgive them.
First we see the charge that the heathen are under sin and that they are not truth seekers but are truth suppressors (Romans 1:18). This verse teaches us that not only do men love sin but that they also will not on their own turn from sin. Instead, this verse charges that they suppress the truth – they do not seek the truth, they do not want the truth, but they actually suppress or hold down the truth.
This charge is a serious charge – it indicates that men don’t love what God reveals about Himself and therefore they don’t love the true God. Do you see a problem in that? Well if they don’t love Him they won’t obey Him and neither will they glorify Him nor will they worship and serve Him. This is the essence of sin so therefore the charge that men suppress the truth is a charge that men are by nature and by choice sinners.
Next we begin to examine the evidence that the heathen are truth suppressors and not truth seekers (19-25). Here we see that although men come up with may different forms of religion, it is because they are suppressing truth and not seeking truth. They are fashioning a god of their own making to their own liking. Judging by appearance we would conclude that all the various religions of the world prove that men are seeking God and seeking truth. However the evidence actually points in the other direction – that men are suppressing truth – for if all men everywhere were seeking truth and receiving the truth that God is revealing then all religions everywhere would be based on the same truth. So to say that all the religions of the world prove that men are seeking God then the truth that God has revealed concerning this not only from nature but also from His Word would have to be suppressed (Romans 3:11).
God has given revelation of Himself to all men through two primary avenues:
The inner revelation of conscience (19) – the law of God and His moral code is written on the heart of all men everywhere (Romans 2:14-15).
The outer revelation of creation (20) – reveals the truth of God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature.
With the combined witnesses of conscience and creation, every man is without excuse because every fact shall be established on the basis of two or more witnesses.
Suppressing the truth always leads to idolatry (21-25)
Friday, June 6, 2008
Man's Spiritual Inability
Have you ever heard, "God helps those who help themselves"? That phrase is floated around among many evangelicals as though it is found in the Bible as part of God's Word. Actually that is not in the Bible and is not biblical and is not true - it is heresy! To teach that God helps those who help themselves is a denial of man's spiritual inability or total depravity which is explicitly taught in the Bible.
Our culture has taught us that for mankind "all things are possible." So the thought that there is nothing we can do to get right with God seems wrong to us. The truth that we need the grace of God without any of our own efforts (see Ephesians 2:8-9), that God would dare help those who cannot help themselves, is the true and biblical teaching on the spiritual inability of man and is rejected by the mind set on the flesh.
Here is a very powerful sermon entitled God Helps Those Who Cannot Help Themselves and was preached by pastor Jeff Noblit at a Deacon's retreat. It is well worth the time necessary to listen.
Our culture has taught us that for mankind "all things are possible." So the thought that there is nothing we can do to get right with God seems wrong to us. The truth that we need the grace of God without any of our own efforts (see Ephesians 2:8-9), that God would dare help those who cannot help themselves, is the true and biblical teaching on the spiritual inability of man and is rejected by the mind set on the flesh.
Here is a very powerful sermon entitled God Helps Those Who Cannot Help Themselves and was preached by pastor Jeff Noblit at a Deacon's retreat. It is well worth the time necessary to listen.
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