HEY READERS!
I usually put the footnotes along with any verses I present to you. So here you have the footnotes for Romans 1:18-32, along with the verses found in my upcoming "Men, Women and Children" column on Sexual Immorality, part 5. It will be posted right above this one. So let's get started!
As always, I tell you the sources I use for scriptures and footnotes.
I use the Life Application Study Bible, N.I.V. (New International Version) as a source.
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Wheaton, Illinois
FOOTNOTES
ROMANS 1:18-32
(Romans ch. 1, verses 18 through 32)
(verse 18) Why is God angry at sinful people?
Because they have substituted the truth about him with a lie (refer to v. 25) . They have stifled the truth God naturally reveals to all people in order to believe anything that supports their own self-centered lifestyles.
God cannot tolerate sin, because his nature is morally perfect. He cannot ignore or condone such willful rebellion. God wants to remove the sin and restore the sinner--and he is able to,
as long as the sinner does not stubbornly distort or reject the truth. But his Gods) anger erupts against those who persist in sinning. Make sure you are not pursuing a lie rather than the true God. Don't suppress the truth about him merely to protect your own lifestyle.
(verse 18-20) In these verses, Paul (Apostle and Jesus disciple) answered a common objection to belief in God: How could a loving God send anyone to hell, especially someone who has never heard about Christ? In fact, says Paul, God has revealed himself plainly in the creation to ALL people! And yet people reject even this basic knowledge of God. Also, everyone has an inner sense of what God requires, but they choose not to live up to it. Put another way, people 's moral standard are always better than their behavior. If people suppress God's truth in order to live their own way, they have no excuse.
They know the truth, and they will have to endure the consequences of ignoring it.
(More on verses 18-20)
Some people wonder why we need missionaries if people can know about God through nature (the creation). One answer may be: 1) although people know that God exists, they suppress the truth by their wickedness and thus refuse a relationship with him. Missionaries sensitively expose their error and point them to a new beginning. 2) Although people may believe there is a God, they refuse to commit themselves to him. Missionaries help persuade them, both through loving words and caring actions. 3) Missionaries convince people who reject God of their dangerous consequences of their actions. 4) Missionaries help the church obey the Great Commission of our Lord (The Great Commission, Matthew 28:19, 20) 5) Most important, though nature reveals God, people need to be told about Jesus and how, through him, they can have a personal relationship with God.
Knowing that God exists is not enough! People must learn that God is loving. They must understand what he did to demonstrate his love for us (go to Romans ch.5 v. 8).
They must be shown how to accept God's forgiveness of their sins. (See Romans c. 10 14 & 15.)
(v.19) Does anyone have an excuses for not believing in God? The Bible answers an emphatic no! God has revealed what he is like, in and through his creation. Every person, therefore, either accepts or rejects God. Don't be fooled. When the day comes for God to judge your response to him, no excuses will be accepted. Begin today to give your devotion and worship to him.
(v.20) What kind of God does nature reveal?
Nature shows us a God of might, intelligence, and intricate detail; a God of order and beauty; a God who controls powerful forces. That is general revelation. Through special revelation, (the Bible and the coming of Jesus), we learn about God's love and forgiveness, and the promise of eternal life. God has graciously given us both sources that we might fully believe in him.
(More on v. 20)...
God reveals his divine nature and personal qualities through creation, even though creation's testimony has been distorted by the fall. The fall being Adams sin resulted in a divine curse upon the whole natural order (Se Genesis 3:17-19); thorns and thistles were an immediate result, and natural disasters have been common from Adam's day to ours. In Romans 8:19-21, Paul says that nature itself is eagerly awaiting its own redemption from the effects of sin
(See Revelation 22:3).
(v.21-23)
How could intelligent people turn to idolatry?
Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God.
Instead of looking to him as the Creator and sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe. They soon invent "gods" that are convenient projections of their own selfish plans and decrees.
These gods may be wooden figures, but they may also be goals or things we pursue such as money, power, or comfort. They may even be misrepresentations of God himself-making God in our image, instead of the reverse. The common denominator is this--idolators worship things God made rather than God himself!
Is the anything you feel you can't live without?
Is there any priority greater than God?
Do you have a dream you would sacrifice everything to realize?
Does God take first place?
Do you worship God or idols of your own making?
(More on v.21 + v.22 & v.23)
Paul clearly portrays the inevitable downward spiral into sin. First, people reject God; next they make up their own ideas of what a god should be and do; they fall into sin--sexual sin, greed, hatred, envy murder, strife deceit, malice gossip. Finally, they grow to hate God and encourage others to do so. God does not cause this steady progression toward evil. Rather, when when people reject him, he allows them to live as they choose. God gives them over or permits them to experience the natural consequences of their sin. Once caught in a downward spiral, no one can pull himself or herself out. Sinners must trust Christ alone to put them on the path of escape.
(Meetta adds, Remember, God is pure and perfect. Evil is not part of his make up or character. It is our own "imperfectness" or choice to do evil that gets us in trouble and cause the problems we have. For example, if we don't have sex out side of marriage, or cheat on our marriages, we won't have the problems that those sins directly cause! People get mad at God anyway, when they experience problems. You have to understand that God is not going to conform to what you want him to be! He is GOD! We are to conform to what he wants us to be! )
(v.23)
When Paul says that men exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of birds, animals, and reptiles, he seems to deliberately state man's wickedness in the terms used in the Genesis narrative of Adams' fall (See Genesis 1:20-26). When we worship the creature instead to the Creator, we lose sight of our own identity as those who are higher than the animals--made i the image of God.
(v.24-32)
These people chose to reject God, and God allowed the to do it. God does not usually stop us from making choices that are against his will. He lets us declare our supposed independence from him, even though he knows that in time we will become slaves to our own rebellious choices--we will lose our freedom not to sin. Does life without God took like freedom to you? Look more closely. There is no worse slavery than slavery to sin.
(v.25)
People tend to believe lies that reinforce their own selfish personal beliefs. Today, more than ever, we need to be careful about the input we allow to form our beliefs. With TV, music, movies and unwholesome values, we find ourselves constantly bombarded by attitudes and beliefs that are totally opposed to the Bible. Be careful about what you allow to form your opinions. The bible is the only standard of truth. Evaluate all other opinions in light of its teachings.
(v.26 & 27)
God's plan for natural sexual relationships is his ideal for his creation. Unfortunately, sin distorts the natural use of God's gifts. Sin often means not only denying God, but also denying the way we are made. When people say that any sex act is acceptable as long as nobody gets hurt, they are fooling themselves. In the long run (and often in the short run), sin hurts people--individuals, families, whole societies.
Because sex is such a powerful and essential part of what it means to be human, it must be treated with great respect. Sexual desires are of such importance that the Bible gives them special attention and counsels more careful restraint and self-control than with any other desire. One of the clearest indicators of a society or person in rebellion against God is the rejection of God's guidelines for the use of sex.
(More on v.26 & 27)
Homosexuality ( to exchange or abandon natural relations of sex) was as widespread in Paul's days as it is in ours. Many pagans practices encouraged it. God is willing to receive anyone who comes to him in faith and Christians should love and accept other not matter what their background. Yet, homosexuality is strictly forbidden in Scripture
(Leviticus 18:22). Homosexuality is considered an acceptable practice by many in our world today--even by some churches!
But society does not set the standard for God's law. Many homosexuals believe that their deires are normals and that they have a right to express them. But God does not obligate nor encourage us to fulfill all our desires (even normal ones.) Those desires that violate his laws must be controlled.
If you have these deisire, you can and must resist acting upon them. Conciously avoid places or activities you know will kindle temptations of this kind. Don't underestimate the power of Satan to tempt you, nor the potential for serious harm if you yield to these temptations. Remember, God can and will forgive sexual sins just as he forgives other sins. Surrender yourself to the Grace and Mercy of God, asking him to show you the way out of sin and in the light of his freedom and his love. Prayer, Bible study, and strong support in a Bible Based Christian church, can help you to gain strength to resist these powerful temptations. If you are already deeply involved in homosexual behavior, seek help from a trustworthy, professional, pastoral counselor.
(v.32)
How were these people aware of God's death penalty? Human beings, crated in God's image, have a basic moral nature and a conscience. This truth is understood beyond religious circles. Psychologists, for example, say that the rare person who has no conscience has a serious personality disorder that is extremely difficult to treat. Most people instinctively know when they do wrong--but they may not care. Some people will even risk an early death for the freedom to indulge in their desires now. They say, "I know it's dangerous, but it's worth the risk." For such people, part of the "fun" is going against God's law, the community's moral standards, common sense or their own sense of right and wrong. But deep down inside they know that sine deserves the punishment of death
(Romans 6:23).
Well Reader, I hope you find this helpful and interesting.
I also hope, that you open your heart and mind
to accepting Christ to come, knowing him and God's plan for your life.
May God help and guide you in the right direction.
Meetta
