Thursday, March 3, 2011

We begin in Romans

Romans 1

Paul had never been to Rome. The letter to the Romans was both an introduction to the church in Rome and an outline of the foundation of our faith. As an introduction to the devotions from this book of Romans I need to say that there is no way I am going to be able to cover the depths of theology offered here. My hope is that you will glean some wisdom, strength, encouragement, and discipline from a quick view, daily, of this book.

Paul felt his call was to all people. The Lord has done great things for Paul. As a point of gratitude to God, he felt as if he were a debtor to all men in the sense that what God had done for him, he must share it with others so they might know what God could do for them. He made it his habit to go to the Jews first, his own culture and then to every other culture.

One question I am asked frequently is, “How is it fair that if you don’t have a relationship with God that you are condemned to hell?” “What about the people around the world who have never heard of God?” Paul answers that question in verse 20 of the 1st chapter of Romans. God is revealed to every person even through nature. Think about it, if God desires for all men to have a relationship with Him and some will die before a missionary makes it to them, He must have a plan to reach them. His plan is the way that all of creation works. The concept is that every person is judged on the basis of what they do with their knowledge of God. I have heard story after story of how the Lord revealed whom Jesus is apart from any missionary, TV, or radio program or any other kind of intervention. God loves people and wants everyone to come to Him.

There are those that know better and will not be shown mercy. There are those who God reveals himself too and they know it but believing that they know better, they choose to reject God. Notice that Paul makes it clear that these people are fully aware that they are purposely make themselves to be their own god. They choose to worship anything but God and what is worse they choose to worship themselves. This leads to a type of lesbianism and homosexuality that rather than them being open to receive the love of God, correction, and repentance, they become filled with a militancy that sends them spiraling down, worse and worse, to a place where they may never turn back to God. Please understand this can happen with any type of sin if we continue to harden our hearts. All forms of homosexuality are wrong but like every sin people can fall into this sin because of wounds, pain, or a lack of understanding God’s love for them. For those, God is always calling them to himself wanting to bring healing and freedom. But those of whom Paul is speaking are openly at war with God they know what they are doing is sin and simply do not care.

Paul touches specifically on the sin of homosexuality because it was so prevalent in Roman society. All major, world shaking, societies have been corrupted from within before they ever have fallen to an outside enemy. One of the sins that always seem to have free reign in a society about to fall is homosexuality.

In summary, Paul is telling us what God has done for us we need to have a passion to share that with others. However there will be people who blatantly choose to reject God, having knowledge of his love and purpose for their lives reject it and bring onto them the penalty. Please understand, God is not sitting on his throne killing blatant sinners. God has set rules in motion. If you stick you hand in a fire you will get burned. Is that God’s fault? Of course not, the further and further you pull yourself away from God, if God is love, joy, and peace then the further and further you are pulling yourself away from love, joy and peace. What is left? That is the punishment incurred by the blatant sinner.

God loves you continue to draw closer to Him and walk in all that he has for you today.

Tomorrow Romans 2

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