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Or do you presume upon the riches of God's kindness and forbearance and patience not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance (Romans 2:4)

GOSPEL

Reminder: Romans 1:16-17

Paul is presenting the gospel. For I am not ashamed of the gospel…

But to present the gospel — Paul must first show our desperate need for the gospel — he must show how all are guilty — all stand under God’s righteous judgment apart from Christ.

THREE ATTRIBUTES

In light of that — here in at the beginning of Romans 2 — Paul raises the question as to our response to God’s kindness and forbearance and patience.
Do we give these attributes of God proper consideration.

That’s Paul’s word “presume” in verse 4.
It means to think lightly upon — or even despise — by giving something less consideration than it deserves — esteeming something to have little to no value in comparison to other things. 

So, we’re taking some time to deeply contemplate and meditate on these glorious attributes — that we might know God’s character rightly. Which ought to lead us to awe and worship — and — as our text says — to repentance.

KINDNESS

Last week we looked at God’s kindness …
This week — God’s forbearance.

READ (Romans 2:1-5)

WHAT IS FORBEARANCE?

So, what is forbearance?
(ἀνοχή noun — ἀνέχω verb to bear with)

Most simply, the verb form means to bear with or tolerate or to get really basic and literal, it means to put up with. 

TOLERANCE

And we see this in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthains. 

2 Corinthians 11:4. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Which means, not every form of tolerance — or bearing with — is good or godly. Here, Paul pretty much accuses the Corinthians of the same abuse of tolerance as we see in our society. 

THE WORLD’S USE OF TOLERANCE

Today, tolerance is often used synonymously with that of acceptance, or worse celebration and participation. The problem with the world’s tolerance is that it is most often intolerant. 

The world is not tolerant of those who do not accept and celebrate its ways — most specifically, the world is not tolerant in believers not joining in its sin and debauchery. As Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:4, because of this — because you refuse to join them their reckless and wild living, they heap abuse on you. In other words, the world’s view of tolerance is one sided.

SIN EXPOSED

This is not at all to suggest that we are sinless. But we can’t celebrate sin and willingly engage in sin. For one, the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to see sin as it truly is — as an attack on the God who has been nothing but kind and loving to us — so much so, that He gave His only Son for us. Sin has been unclothed for the ugliness that it is.

HOW LONG MUST I PUT UP WITH YOU?

So, then, what is the biblical view of tolerance and forbearance?

Well, perhaps we should look at Jesus’ use of the term. Matthew 17:7.

When he comes down from the mount of transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, a man comes up to him, pleading, Lord have mercy on my son… for he has seizures and suffers terribly. For he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.

Now, hear Jesus’ words.
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

This is not a popular verse. Can this really be Jesus speaking? The world would likely entreat Jesus to doing little reading of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. 

Is Jesus being insensitive? I don’t believe so. There are a few things going on with Jesus’ words. More than we’ll take time to address this morning. 

FROM MOUNTAIN TO VALLEY

First, let’s not miss Jesus’ mountaintop experience, where Jesus shone with glory and enjoyed the loving praise of his Father. This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.

That’s as close as Jesus, the man, will be to heaven until his ascension. And before his ascension comes the cross — the painful death he is to endure — which he foretold to his disciples on both sides of this passage in Matthew — the mountain and the call for genuine mustard size faith that can move mountains.

Coming down the mountain, Jesus was back in the valley of sin and unbelief. He’s reminded of this by the crowd.
He’s reminded of this by the suffering of this man’s son.
He’s reminded of this by the disciples lack of faith. 

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

Second, Jesus is identifying himself with YHWH of the Old Testament — the echo of How Long? as the Lord bears with Israel’s unbelief — whether that be the people’s grumbling, trusting Him for manna, refusing to enter the promised land.

They were always testing Him. And the Lord in His immense patience bore with their sin for a long time — 40 years in the wilderness.

POSTPONEMENT

God’s forbearance is never to be confused with the world’s idea of tolerance. (Which is why forbearance — or to bear with — better captures God’s disposition.)

God didn’t tolerate Israel’s sin and unbelief with any amount of approval or acceptance. God bore with their sin for a time. Just as Jesus, on the road to the cross, bore with sin for a time — until he bore it directly and in full on the cross.

Which brings us to a more precise way Paul uses this word forbearance, and that has to do with postponement. God puts up with sin for a time — often a long time — rather than executing judgment immediately.

To use a dictionary definition: Forbearance is a refraining from the enforcement of something (such as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due.

FORBEARANCE ON A LOAN

Forbearance on a loan is where the lender allows the borrower to delay making payments toward a debt without incurring additional penalties. 

Now, here’s an important clarification. Forbearance on a loan is not the same as forgiveness. And so long as the debt isn’t paid, do you know what happens to the balance? It grows. Interest continues to accrue.
GOD’S FORBEARANCE

God’s forbearance is His postponement of calling debts to account for a time. In other words, God’s forbearance is judgment postponed — but not forgotten. 

Which takes us to the Jesus’ parable of the dishonest manager, which Silas read for us. 

God cannot do as the dishonest manager did and change your bill. Instead of a hundred measures of oil, make it fifty. Instead of a hundred measures of wheat, make it eighty.
God cannot simply change your bill and still be just.
The debt must be paid in full.
And who can possibly pay it? Only Jesus.

Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death.
Psalm 49:8. Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.

The bill can’t simply be changed to a different amount. God’s justice demands it to be paid in full. 

Yet in His mercy, God postpones calling many debts to account — and instead calls everyone to repentance — that their debts might be satisfied on the cross rather than the debtor having to satisfy a debt he could never afford himself.

TOLERATES EVERYTHING?

Which brings us to some dangerous misinterpretations of God’s forbearance.

Many interpret God’s forbearance to suggest that God tolerates everything and punishes nothing.
Since He has yet to call their sin to account and execute judgment, perhaps He never will.

They treat God’s forbearance as a license to sin. 

DOES NOT EQUAL FORGIVENESS

Many interpret God’s forbearance as forgiveness. But forbearance is not forgiveness. Forbearance doesn’t cancel the debt. Rather, interest continues to accrue.

Divine forbearance grants time for repentance. But if abused, only makes eventual judgment more severe.

Think of it like this. A creditor may wait to collect on a debt. But the waiting does not cancel the debt — nor diminish the debt.

Delayed punishment, however does not pardoned.

WRONG EFFECT

When we misunderstand God’s forbearance, people tend to think their okay in their sin. Such misunderstanding has the wrong effect. 

Ecclesiastes 8:11. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.

NEVER PUNISH?

They believe that because God has not yet judged them — then perhaps He never intends to judge — or he may never punish my sin.

Or maybe the chances are that since He’s delayed judgment for this long — He’ll likely continue to delay. And if God’s going to continue to delay judgment, we can get a few more sinful pleasures in! 

But such a heart is not one that knows the grace of God. It’s a heart that misinterprets the grace of God and has no clue regarding the horrors of one’s own sin and the sacrifice Jesus made to pay for sin.

SOLOMON’S WARNING

Solomon warns against misinterpreting God’s forbearance. Ecclesiastes 8:12-13.
Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life (hear the forbearance?), yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God…
But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow because he does not fear before God.

SAFE IN SIN?

Because there is no immediate recompense, many believe they are safe in their sin. Loved ones, don’t be deceived. 

I’m reminded of Mr. Beaver’s words in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when he first tells the children of Aslan.
“Who’s Aslan?” one of the girls asks.
“Aslan?” said Mr. Beaver. “Why don’t you know who is King of beasts? Aslan is a lion — the Lion, the great Lion?”
And the two girls ask if he’s safe.
“Safe?” Mr. Beaver says. “Who said anything about safe?” ‘Course he isn’t safe … But … he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” 

Don’t misinterpret God’s forbearance to mean He is safe. Rather, we should tremble at such mercy and forbearance — tremble in worship!

BUILDING A CASE

How many lawbreakers think that because there is no immediate recompense, that they must have gotten away with their crimes?
But how many crimes are solved — and the suspect ascertained — but not yet detained — while a greater case is made against the suspect — even allowing the suspect to continue in his misdeeds so that a greater sentence may be place on him on the day of trial.

And even if justice may seem to be avoided in this life — a day of reckoning fast approaches (verse 5).

WHY THE DELAY?

Which brings us to the question: Why the delay? Why the postponement of judgment for a time?

FORBEARANCE NOT PROMISED

Well, first, recognize that not everyone receives the same delay — the same amount of forbearance — nor does each sin receive the same amount of forbearance. In other words, forbearance isn’t guaranteed, and it is certainly not owed. It is grace dispensed in accordance with the purposes and pleasures of God.

OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLES

UZZAH

Consider Uzzah. He stretched out his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant from falling to the ground — presuming his hands to be cleaner than the dirt from which he came. Ask Uzzah about God’s forbearance.

NADAB AND ABIHU

Or what about Nadab and Abihu. They entered the Most Holy Place and offered unauthorized incense — or strange fire — before the Lord. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them.

And don’t miss that what they were doing was an act of worship! But what exactly were they worshiping when they chose to worship how they wanted instead of how the Lord prescribed! 

And yet, many argue that they will worship according to what’s right in their own eyes. Listen. Such worship is not of the Holy God. It demeans God. It make light of who God is. 

When you worship how you want while disregarding what God says, you don’t make much of Him — but yourself.

NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES

Well, someone might say, that’s the Old Testament. That’s before Jesus came. God is much more patient now. 

First, God calling sin to account does not call into question His patience.
Second, let’s look at the New Testament — after Jesus’ payment for sin on the cross. 

KING HEROD

Acts 12, King Herod gave a speech, and the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not a man!”
Doesn’t seem that big of deal. Herod simply gave a speech.
Immediately, the text says, an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give God the glory.

I can imagine some scoffers’ response. Are you kidding me! Just because Herod gave a speech, and the people praised him, and Herod didn’t give the glory to God.
Absolutely! Why? Because that is the greatest of sins. Indeed, it’s what all sin has in common — the idolatry of self. 

Okay. So, worldly Herod didn’t give God the glory. But what about those within the church. 

ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA

So what about the church. How about Ananias and Sapphira? You’re familiar with them in Acts 5. People were selling property in order to supply for the physical needs of the brothers and sisters within the church. In fact, one of the brothers, a man named Joseph, received the name Barnabas — which means son of encouragement. Why? Because the name fit. One thing Barnabas did was sell a field he owned, and he brought the money to the apostles and laid it at their feet.

Well, I like to be made much of. What might I do to get recognized too? [Pride]

So, this couple, Ananias and Sapphira, they sell a piece of property too. And together they determine that they will keep a portion of the proceeds and give a portion to the apostles. Nothing wrong with that — except their intention. They intended for people to think they gave the whole of the proceeds to the apostles. They intended a bit of glory for themselves. In reality, their sin was the same as Herod’s. And this is a couple within the church. 

You know what happened to them? The same fate as that of Herod. 

Ask them about God’s forbearance. 

RIGHT EFFECT

But you know the result — the effect their immediate judgment had on the rest of the church and those who heard? Great fear! So that they might not presume upon God’s kindness and forbearance and patience.

Listen. Part of Paul’s point is don’t count on God’s forbearance. God is not obligated to bear with sin — not my sin, not your sin, not any sin.

O in His mercy He often does, but don’t take it for granted. Don’t think lightly of it. Be in awe!

Don’t deceive yourself thinking that because God often and for a long-time bears with sin that He always will. Sooner or later, all sin — all debts are called due. 

POSTPONING JUDGMENT

And yet, God has shown tremendous patience in postponing judgment. Why? Why the delay?
Why a 40 day notice for Ninevah?
Why 120 years for the people in Noah’s day?

Why did Adam and Eve walk out of the Garden on the day they were supposed to die?
I know, some will say that they did die that day. They died spiritually. And that’s true. 

But that wasn’t the fullness of judgment. Instead, another died in their place — an innocent substitute to clothe their sin and nakedness.
Indeed, an unspecified substitute. The text simply says “robe of skin.”

Why didn’t God execute the fullness of judgment that very day?
Why does God exercise His divine forbearance at all?

Well, there’s at least three reasons. 

NOT HASTILY OR IN PASSION

First, God’s forbearance shows that God does not punish hastily or in passion. God is unlike us.
He does not react in fits of passion. He makes no decision lightly.

God waits a full ten generations after Adam is exiled from the Garden before the Flood of His Judgment rains down in the days of Noah and his sons. 

Ten generations after the Flood, God reigns down His judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Abraham, the son of Terah. 

It’s another ten generations after God’s judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah before he carries out His judgment upon the Canaanites — and specifically the Amorites — whose sin is finally filled up. 

(Genesis 15. Recall God’s words to Abraham. God waited a full ten generations, allowing the Canaanites to continue in their sin.)

God doesn’t punish hastily or in passion. 

(You can count the generations in Luke 3.)

DOES NOT DELIGHT IN DEATH

Second, God’s forbearance demonstrates that He does not delight in the death of the sinner. 

God warns before striking in order that He may not strike.
And all the while He’s preparing His arrows of judgment,
he looks for an occasion to lay them aside and turn them away. 

Indeed, God publishes His wrath before it is ever executed — and a long time at that. Why? So that He might not have to carry out sentence upon the sinner.

And just consider how long He publishes His warnings.

The people in Noah’s day received a 120 year advertisement before the Flood of Judgment finally came upon them.
Everyday Noah and his sons were felling timbers.
Everyday they were cutting them to size.
Everyday … fitting the timbers in place.
Everyday hammering one board upon another —
nail upon nail driven into the wood. 

And when Noah and his sons weren’t felling, and cutting, and fitting, and hammering the timbers of wood, they were covering them with pitch (whatever pitch is) — literally, covering it with a covering. It’s where we get the word atonement — atoning for it with an atonement.

TO DISPLAY HIS GLORY IN CHRIST

Which brings us to the third reason for God’s forbearance — and that is to display His glory in Christ — the only true atonement for sin.

I know at this rate we’re a ways from the end of Romans 3, but this points to what is perhaps one of the most significant verses in all the Bible, Romans 3:25. 

God put Jesus forward as a propitiation by his blood — an atoning sacrifice — a wrath covering sacrifice — to be received by faith in order to show God’s righteousness. Why? Because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

PASSED OVER FORMER SINS

Remember, Adam and Eve walked out of the Garden. Their sin was passed over. 

Israel — when the angel of death came through and judged the Egyptians, the children of Israel were spared — not because they were sinless — but God was passing over their sin.

Throughout all of history, God’s forbearance seemed to call into account God’s justice. Of course, there is no injustice on God’s part. But the question was, how could God possibly pass over sin? How was God to offer any forbearance at all? Surely the blood of bulls and goats and Passover Lambs weren’t a sufficient substitute for sin. 

The debt of sin still had to be paid. And that debt is costly — infinitely costly. Who could possibly cover it?

Only one could — the God-man — the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world — the eternal Son of God. 

TRULY MAN — TRULY GOD

This is why Jesus had to be truly God and truly man. This is why the doctrine of the incarnation is so important. Apart from a proper Christology, there is no gospel.

Man must pay the debt because it is man’s debt to pay — hence Jesus had to be truly man.
But only God Himself has a life of infinite worth to cover such a debt — therefore Jesus had to be truly God.

When people question our doctrine — rather the Bible doctrine — regarding Jesus being both God and man — it’s important that you know why it matters. Indeed, this is one of the many proofs of the Bible’s veracity. (This is a core apologetic issue!)

BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD

God’s forbearance, rather than displaying God’s righteousness, raised a serious question concerning God’s righteousness.
O the tension. How can God be righteous and pass over any of our sins? 

There is but one answer. Jesus is the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8; 1 Peter 1:19-20.)

WRATH TURNED AWAY

You see, after the Flood, part of the message found in the Rainbow was that God doesn’t merely look for an occasion to lay His arrows of judgment aside and turn His bow away — He already had a way. 

The rainbow showed that God was willing to pay the consequence of sin in our place. His bow of judgment took aim at Himself. He would receive the piercing we deserve. He would receive the injuries for our sin upon Himself. 

He would pay the debt of sin Himself.

DISHONEST MANAGER – PART 2

Remember the dishonest manager who was fired by his master, so he called his master’s debtors and had them change and reduce their debts that they owed his master. And why did he do this? In order that people would invite him into their houses. In other words, to provide for himself dwelling places. 

God is not like the dishonest manager — who, in order to provide Himself with dwelling places, reduces or changes people’s debts. 

In justice, God cannot simply reduce or dismiss any debt. All debts must be paid in full. 

Instead, God covers the debt Himself with the blood of His own Son — who pays the debt in full — not merely reducing the debt but fully satisfying the wages for sin. 

DWELLING PLACE

And he does that — loved ones — not because He fears that He may become homeless like the dishonest manager did. No. He pays your debt fully for your benefit — that He might take up residency in you — and you with Him.

[Tabernacle]

ADVERTISEMENT OF THE CROSS

If you think God’s forbearance was great in the days of Noah, and that the advertisement of the Ark was something — the cross is a far greater advertisement.

O like the people in Noah’s day, people scoff — Where’s the promise of his coming. And they’ll continue in their sin — thinking lightly of God’s forbearance — His postponement of judgment.

But each hammer blow through Jesus’ flesh into the wood of the cross proclaims God’s loving forbearance — patiently waiting — not wishing any to perish. 

What greater advertisement of God’s mercy and love!
What greater advertisement of God’s coming judgment!
What greater proclamation of God’s forbearance!

And God is still patiently waiting.
But God’s forbearance won’t continue indefinitely. 

DEMANDS A RESPONSE

In other words, the cross demands a response.
And not just a response today — but every day.
Indeed, the cross demands that we renew that response daily.

O Lord, the psalmist says, teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
That we may live in light of your great mercy — rightly interpreting your forbearance as a call to repentance —and to walk in light of the cross.

DO UNTO OTHERS

And if God has shown such forbearance toward us, how then should we bear with the sins of others.
As image bearers, shouldn’t we practice the same?

As the proverb says: It is to one’s glory to pass over an offense — glory, because it images the God who passed over yours.

[Matthew 12:11]

   THE RICHES OF GOD'S KINDNESS

READ (Romans 2:1-5)

THINK LIGHTLY

Last week we looked at one of the most used arguments against God’s judgment — His goodness.
As if God’s goodness assures us of escape from judgment regardless of our response to that goodness.

As we look at verse 4, Paul raises the question: Do you truly understand God’s goodness? Or do you think so little of His goodness that you presume upon it, neglect it, and despise that goodness.

The word the ESV renders “presume” means to think lightly about something — which of course fits perfectly with what Paul has been arguing since Romans 1:18. Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. That is, they thought little of God, if they thought of Him at all!

RICHES OF GOD’S GOODNESS

Paul uses three terms to express aspects of God’s goodness that fallen man tends to think very little of: God’s kindness, God’s forbearance, and God’s patience.

These qualities, each of them, have been manifested most supremely in Christ, and especially the cross. But we’d be remiss to think that these qualities weren’t sufficiently and abundantly displayed throughout every generation.

What’s more, Paul describes these as riches — the riches of God’s kindness and forbearance and patience. God richly pours out these graces from His own divine storehouse. And as much as He pours out this goodness — these riches are in no way diminished — for they flow from the fount of Himself — they flow from His own infinitude, so that God finds no decrease even as He pours out His goodness in greater abundance.

PRINCE OR RULER

Whereas an earthly prince or ruler may pour out some measure of his riches on his subjects —
he is always restrained by their limits —
he is always restrained by his fears —

Not the eternal God.

UMBRELLA OF GOODNESS

Lest we think lightly of the riches of God’s kindness and forbearance and patience, let’s consider a few ways in which He displays each of these.
This week: God’s kindness.

KINDNESS: ARRIVING AT A MEANING

Kindness is a bit more specific than goodness, although this word is sometimes translated goodness. 

The word, χρηστότης or χρηστός (you might hear the word Χριστός — which means anointed) — the root of this word means useful or beneficial. 

Χριστός as in Christ, means anointed one — but anointed for what? Just as the Old Testament portrayed prophets, priests, and kings as anointed for service — anointed to be useful for service — Jesus Christ is the anointed One in that He is anointed for service — or as Paul writes to Timothy — useful to the Master — anointed for useful, beneficial service.

This helps us to understand our word — kindness a little better. Kindness is not niceness — which, in our contemporary culture, means polite or agreeable. While often used as synonyms, you can be nice without being kind, and you can be kind without being, what the world would consider, nice. 

So, what does kindness mean in reference to God? Kindness is the expression of God’s goodness in meeting the needs of His creatures — in providing them some benefit. 

In other words, kindness is displayed more tangibly in that which is fit or suitable for use — that which is beneficial and good.

WHAT’S BENEFICIAL FOR HIS CREATURES

How does God express His kindness? And to whom?
Matthew 5:44. He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good. He sends rain on the just and unjust.
Or in Luke’s parallel account, Jesus says, (Luke 6:35). He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

In other words, God displays His kindness in giving those things which are beneficial to His creatures. 

Or as Paul says to those in Lystra: In past generations God allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness — how did God witness to the nations? He displayed His kindness to them — doing good to them by giving them what was beneficial, helpful, of use — giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.

USEFUL FOR WHAT? OUR JOY

Now notice that when we speak of kindness as that which is useful and beneficial, we aren’t speaking pragmatically — as merely giving those things which primarily accomplish a physical end. Notice the rains and fruitful seasons were for satisfying the heart — satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. 

In other words, God doesn’t just give screw drivers and towels for Christmas. He also gives paintings, and fragrant candles, and personalized greeting cards.

1 Timothy 6:17 — In His kindness, God richly provides everything for our joy, not merely for our sustenance. 

I might pick on a prosperity church’s billboard — start enjoying life — but understand, we are not anti-joy. We are about abundant joy, indeed, the fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:11. You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

As believers, we’ve just been awakened from our once drunken stupor that sought to find our joy in the things of this world instead of the God who pours out the riches of His kindness that we might know Him.

END FOR WHICH GOD CREATED THE WORLD

Indeed, this is the end for which God created the world — to make Himself known — to display His goodness for the good of His creatures. 

God’s kindness extends and reaches to all the works of His hands.
Psalm 145:17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
Or verse 9. The Lord is good to all and his mercy is over all that he has made.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

CREATION

Creation proceeds from God’s goodness. And everything God created was — you know — good. 

Not one thing was created that was without some measure of God’s kindness. All things were good. All things were useful. Useful for what? Useful for displaying something of God Himself. 

It’s important we start here with God’s kindness, because to get this wrong is to get the rest of the story wrong — and particularly the end of the story wrong.

Everything God created was to display something of His goodness. 

Genesis 1:31 — And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good —
So, God rested from all His works that He had done in creation.

GOD’S GLORY MADE PUBLIC

Creation is God’s glory made public.
Psalm 19:1-4..
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard.
Yet, their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

In creation, no creature is silent in displaying God’s glory. 

And this glory made plain by the work of His hands is made legible to all the nations, rendering all without excuse. 

Excuse from what? They are without excuse in failing to acknowledge His glory.

WHAT IS GOD’S GLORY?

But what is God’s glory?
I find Exodus 33:18-19 helpful.
When Moses asks the Lord: Please show me your glory — how does the Lord reply?
Exodus 33:19. I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name “The Lord”. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 

Please show me your glory.
I will make all my goodness pass before you.

WHAT IS GOD’S GOODNESS?

What is this goodness? 

It’s the train of all God’s lovely perfections that spring from His goodness — the entire catalogue of His kindness, His mercy, His grace, His patience — His justice, His righteousness.

Every perfection flows from this one fount of God’s goodness.

Psalm 145.
All of God’s works, the splendor of His majesty, His awesome deeds, His greatness — they all pour forth the fame of His abundant goodness.

Quoting this section of Exodus, the Psalmist continues.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

CREATION OF MAN

God’s kindness is displayed, not just in creation in general, but in his fashioning of mankind. 

Taking a handful of dust from the ground, God copied some of His own perfection — His goodness upon this lump of clay. 

And think for a second about the body God had formed — every part ordered for displaying God’s glory — God’s goodness — God’s kindness.

EVERY MEMBER USEFUL

Every member of the body purposeful and useful. (Recall, the church — the body of Christ. God’s creation of man translates over to the church.)

This tabernacle of clay, God fashioned with such a variety of members — each in proper place and proportion — according to His wisdom and grace — each part without confusion as to what it was useful for.
(O the distortions the Fall has brought about!)

Each member of this clay tent designed with beauty, made to fit, excellent for use. 

Out of clay, God fashioned a palace of dust in which to house the viceroy of the world!

SOUL AND IMAGE

But that’s merely the body. What is masked within this clay?
A soul endowed with reason and understanding and a will. 

Greater still, and the greatest of these kindnesses in the creation of man is that God created us in His likeness in order for us to know Him and commune with Him. 

PERSONAL KINDNESS

And we could go on about how God shows His kindness in giving us health and wholeness, preserving us in many different capacities, giving us companionship through other image-bearers, granting us meaningful occupation with which to employ ourselves with, and rest — not to mention the innumerable acts of particular kindness God bestows specifically on you.

There is nothing we enjoy that is not some measure of God’s kindness to us. There is nothing man endures or experiences — (apart from final judgment) — that does not include some measure of God’s kindness.

SOVEREIGN KINDNESS

Now, consider the same measure of detail in which God created all things — in His sovereign placement of all things. 

Part of the problem with our judgment of others — is that God has placed all things according to His wisdom — and each as a measure of His kindness.
This includes that difficult neighbor, that defiant child, that overbearing parent.
In all of these — God has poured out a measure of kindness — for your benefit.

Perhaps we’d do well to consider God’s benefit in these. Because what is God’s will for you? Your holiness — or sanctification — and for you to image Him.

How are we to image Him? Matthew 5:45 — as sons of your Father in heaven — in reflecting His kindness to both the just and unjust, the deserving and the not.

Joseph and his brothers — human element to be sure.
But never precludes or works against God’s kindness.
God is sovereign — not man. No one can thwart His kindness. They can, however, despise it.

KIND TO ALL?

But some will argue, “Is God truly kind to all?” Look at the world around us. It’s broken and full of suffering, disease, violence, hatred, harm. Is that truly kind?

First, God’s kindness is not impaired in any way in His allowing or “suffering” sin to enter the world and for man to thereby fall. 

Should God’s kindness be undervalued and despised because man made ill use of His kindness and turned it into licentiousness?

NOT EQUALLY GOOD — BUT NOT EVIL

While God may not have made all things equally good — He made nothing evil. 

He is kind to all, but not in the same degree.
Let me ask you who would judge God concerning His kindness. Do you equally distribute your kindness — your gifts — to all alike?
Or do you offer your grandkids gifts that you don’t give to the server at the restaurant? Do you give to your pets the way you give to your children? 

EQUALLY KIND: ILLUSTRATION

Of course, some would suggest they show the same measure of kindness to all. I had a person recently display their moral superiority in that they gently carry the pests out of their house — supposedly treating them with the same kindness they treat all living things with.

Perhaps that’s what Adam should have done with the serpent — simply pick him up — all nice — and gently sit him outside the Garden. Listen! Even then you aren’t showing the same kindness to the beast, because you are saying you can’t live here. This residence is reserved for others. 

MORALLY SUPERIOR?

As much as man seeks to show himself morally superior to God — which is utterly ridiculous — this façade is so easy to unmask. But only if we know God — if we know Him rightly, and stop trying to align Him to the distorted morals of a fallen society that hates Him.

How pathetic it would be if the all-wise Sovereign of the universe acted according to finite man’s fallen fancies rather than according to His own divine pleasure and wisdom?

FREELY DISTRIBUTES HIS KINDNESS

Is God not allowed to freely distribute His gifts as He pleases? The self-righteous considers him or herself good and yet distributes as he or she sees fit. (What about our government? Equal distribution will never meet the equality fallen man imagines it will bring.)

If God does not give the same measure of kindness to a creature who lacks it by its own fault or demerit, can God be said to wish evil upon it?
Is God not at liberty to deny that kindness to the creature who has forfeited? 

Will you not reckon someone as generous who distributes charity to a great company, even though he rejects some?
Is he deemed less kind because he gives not a penny to those who refuse to address him for such?

Yet, God is so good, He denies not the best good to those who genuinely seek Him — promising them life and happiness. Is He somehow less kind because He will not distribute the same measure of His kindness to those who despise Him?

And still, He sends His sun and rain on the unjust as well as the just, the evil as well as the good. And yet they still think lightly of the riches of His kindness.

ESSENTIAL TO HIS KINDNESS: JUSTICE

But what about punishment? Where’s God’s kindness in that?

God’s punishment of sin is no violation of His kindness. Psalm 119:68. Lord, you are good and do good.Whatsoever God does is good and only good. God’s judgments in the world are a part of the goodness of His nature. 

This is where the man of Romans 2 is self-deceived. Thinking that he will somehow escape the judgment of God when he practices the same things he condemns in others. 

For if you yourself recognize that it is good and right to condemn such practices, how much more should God who is perfectly good condemn you for the doing the same sort of things.

It is good and right for God to condemn and punish sin according to the measure of the crime.

KINDNESS IN THE LAW AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES

Is it not a part of God’s kindness to make laws and add consequences to the breaking of those laws? 

How are God’s laws a kindness? Remember, they are a kindness in their usefulness. What are those laws useful for? They are useful for deterring evil. 

But laws without consequence are merely advice — not law. As such, there are consequences added to the breaking of God’s laws. Like the laws themselves, these consequences — or threatenings — are designed to further discourage wickedness — just as God’s promises are designed to further encourage goodness.

To fail to punish evil would, therefore, be a lack of goodness on God’s part — which cannot be. 

NOT GOD’S PRIMARY INTENT

But understand. Punishment is never the primary intention of God. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. 

Therefore, God, in His kindness, puts up a barricade to evil by His prohibitions and severe warnings — in order that He might by such warnings prevent sin — and consequently prevent any occasion of severity against His creature.

It’s in His kindness that God sends messengers to warn and persuade men and women to turn from their waywardness and return to the good way for which they were created — to reflect Him and His goodness.

Even when God brandishes His sword of judgment, He wishes for someone to stand in the gap to placate His anger that He might not strike a fatal blow. (Ezekiel 22:30)

And even when that fatal blow is stuck, such judgments preserve God’s goodness. For it is a kindness that God gives so gracious a warning to others that they may not venture upon those same crimes.

Don’t be like Lot’s wife! (Luke 17:32-33)

God would rather have the repentance of the sinner than his punishment.

HELL?

But what about hell? Is hell inconsistent with God’s kindness? Not at all. For how could God be good without it? 

WHAT ABOUT THE TREE?

Okay, Josh. But what about the tree. You know, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that if you eat of it, you shall surely die. What was God’s kindness in putting the tree there? What’s our benefit in the tree?

Well, what of the tree? Was that to be the tiniest of blemishes on God’s kindness? Considering He had given mankind everything else — everything for their possession, everything for their pleasure, everything for their purposes, everything for their dominion — EVERYTHING BUT THE HIGHEST THRONE — the throne of God Himself.

WAS THE TREE GOOD?

But perhaps we should ask: Was the tree a kindness? Was the tree good? Yes.
But what was the tree good for?
(Remember our definition of kindness?) What was the tree useful or beneficial for? 

GOOD FOR FOOD

It was good for food. Eve herself recognized that. But it was not good for her or Adam to physically eat from the tree themselves. The beast could eat from it. But not them.

Moreover, the tree, while not given for them to eat from, it was certainly given for their sustenance.
So long as they refrained from eating of the tree themselves, they’d be sustained in life!

DELIGHT TO THE EYES

The tree was a delight to the eyes. God made the tree beautiful, just as He had made the rest of the trees in the Garden beautiful. 

The tree was also a delight to the eyes in that it was a reminder of the riches of God’s kindness who has so richly lavished us with so much!

The tree was also a beautiful display of God’s sovereignty, God’s authority. 

Mankind was given dominion over all the earth — but how comforting and kind it was knowing that God had not abandoned His throne. He hadn’t left them alone to figure it all out on their own. He was still God and would always be so.

DESIREABLE TO MAKE ONE WISE

And the tree was to desireable to make one wise.
Is that true? 

First, it’s helpful to see that the word desire is also used in Genesis 2:9, in which the Lord God made every tree desirable or a delight to take pleasure in. 

This tree was desirable to make one wise. But how? By refraining from eating from it. This tree served as a beautiful display of what wisdom is.

This tree truly represented the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve would demonstrate such knowledge by delighting in what the tree represented. It was good not to eat and evil for them to eat. 

What a delightful ornament that served to display one’s wisdom — or the lack thereof.

CAN BE LIKE GOD?

Where Eve went wrong was not in recognizing the tree was good for food, or a delight to the eyes, or desirable to make one wise — but in buying into the serpent’s lie that she could be more like God than she already was, when eating would only serve to make her less like God.

But to suggest that the tree was in anyway unkind, would be a distortion of not only God’s character but His purposes for the tree. 

What is sin? Sin is the abuse of God’s kindness. 

DO YOU NOT KNOW?

Which brings us back to our passage in Romans 2:4.

In verse 4, Paul is saying, not only have you missed the point that in your judging of others you condemn yourself, but you also miss the point of God’s kindness toward you. 

God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance — not to the judgment of others.

So, let me ask. Have you actually understood God’s kindness? Have you studied it? Have you thought deeply about it? Or do you simply presume upon it by thinking lightly of it?

Because when you rush into sin, it is evidence that you don’t truly know God’s kindness. O you’ve been the recipient of so much of it. But you don’t know it. 

That’s what Paul hits this man with. Do you not know? You think lightly of God’s kindness, and therefore, you don’t understand it.
Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance, not to indulge more and more in sin. 

GIFT EASILY SET ASIDE

God’s kindness to them is like a gift they easily set aside.
They open the gift. Perhaps they offer a few niceties. But their attention is already on to the next gift, hoping for something better. And if nothing comes along from the gift giver, they’ll simply determine their own gift and seek to get themselves or from some other source.  

Now, I understand that some gifts are given that never receive much thought at all from the giver. They simply give a gift as if it’s a duty, rather than a delight. But that’s not at all how God gives.

God knows exactly what is most useful, most beneficial, for the recipient. And He only gives good gifts.

And yet, how many benefactors despise His generosity by setting aside any meaningful response to His kindness because they have already moved on to something else.

KINDNESS IN REDEMPTION

Which brings us to the greatest act of God’s kindness: the Gospel.
God’s greatest act of kindness is seen in redemption. 

This is a far greater act of kindness than that of creation as beautiful as that act of kindness is. But it’s one thing for God to display His kindness in creating that which is useful out of nothing. It’s an entirely different level of kindness that converts enemies — entirely of grace — turning men and women who were pleased in their own misery — those who would prefer hell before God Himself. 

So much greater is God’s kindness in redemption than in creation — because in creation there was nothing to oppose Him, but in redemption, God offers up the greatest of gifts to those set in rebellion against Him.

And yet, fallen man continues to despise even this greatest act of kindness.

KINDNESS IN AFFLICTIONS

Perhaps you look at your life and see it full only of afflictions and hardships. And you wonder how God could possibly be kind in allowing — or better — purposing such afflictions and trials. 

Well, we can’t draw out the fullness of God’s purposes here. But what I can assure you of is this. Every affliction and suffering is no less a part of God’s kindness toward you. Every one of them is intended to point you to a far greater need — and to His greatest kindness of all — the offer of His Son for your sin.

But get this. Because there’s both a promise and a warning here. Everyone who trusts in God’s Son to cover the penalty for their sin (which we’ll look at more closely next week) is promised life — which is a way of describing the restoration of our communion with God Himself. 

THE PROMISE OF THE GOSPEL: GOD HIMSELF

You see. God is the promise of the gospel. Jesus died on the cross in order to give you God — to restore you to God.
1 Peter 3:18. For Christ, also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…

The gift of salvation is God Himself. That is the greatest kindness anyone could possibly receive — because God is the greatest good — the greatest benefit. For there is nothing good in itself but God alone. 

THE WARNING

But the flipside of this is the severest of warnings. Since sending His only Son is the greatest act of kindness expressible, the rejection of His Son is the highest reproach — the greatest despising of God’s kindness.
O to think lightly of the offer and the cost of salvation held out to you.
O how heavy will the Lord’s vindication be. 

MEANT TO LEAD YOU TO REPENTANCE

God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance — not to a confession of faith — not to religious activity — not to a new standard of outward morality — but to repentance. 

Is your life marked by repentance — by a constant turning toward God. Why constant? Because in this fallen world, in this fallen flesh, our walk is far from perfect. 

So, rather than thinking lightly of these things, we meditate and contemplate, and keep adjusting the course of our hearts ever more toward Christ — until we reach that blessed shoreline on the other side of glory.

Our journey will be marked — the whole of it — by God’s kindness toward us. But what might that kindness look like? Well, different for each of us. 

But to jump ahead to Romans 8:32

He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, with him, graciously give us all things? What are all things? Well, they are all things which Jesus himself partakes of, which in this age, on this side of glory, includes suffering with him.

As children of God, we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Loved ones — that is God’s kindness toward us — granting us to know Christ in his sufferings — that we might rejoice all the more in his glory. 

Don’t despise this great kindness. Lean into it, as you lean in to Christ.

But God shows His love — or we might say — His kindness to us — in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Pray. 

  The God who Breathes Life (Genesis 2:7)

INTRODUCTION:

As we were celebrating some birthdays this morning, I asked myself, how often we celebrate that of our new birth. You know, the Holy Spirit is responsible for both.

So, preparing for today’s message, I’ve been asking myself the age old question: What is the meaning of life. Before we can answer that, though, we really have to ask ourselves some other questions.

What exactly is life?
What makes something alive versus dead?
When and how does life begin?
How much of it do we truly grasp?
 - answer: mysterious

DEAD ENGINE

Is life kind of like that of a machine? Because many will suggest life is nothing more than chemistry and electrical charges.

When our car or lawnmower won’t run, we says it’s _____ dead. Right. So, when it runs, it obviously has some sense of life, doesn’t it?

Is that what our life is like? How different are we really from a machine that runs on electrical charges? What gets us going — what makes us alive? Is it like pulling the string on a mower, turning an ignition switch, pushing a power button? 

With AI, how many people wonder if we aren’t truly all that different from a machine. At what point will we begin to suggest that AI is no longer artificial. So many sci-fi movies. Anyone remember Short Circuit’s Johnny 5?

Our topic is very relevant.

LIFE IN DIFFERENT SIZES

First, there are varying degrees, or better, different senses of life.
- animation and movement
- biological
- spiritual

NICENE

One of the older Christian creeds — The Nicene Creed — says this about the Holy Spirit:
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
  the Lord, the giver of life.
 He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
 and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

Whatever life is, it is a gift that comes through the Holy Spirit who is the Giver of Life.

So, it’s no surprise that our understanding of life, especially due to the Fall, is a bit blurred. Life is as mysterious as the Spirit who gives life. 

SERIES: 

The Holy Spirit and Discipleship
We’re not going to get very far with the idea of discipleship this morning. Today, we’re looking at something more foundational — something that must proceed any discipleship — and that is life — or more specifically, receiving NEW LIFE. Before anything else, that is our first need — it’s everyone’s greatest need.

So, we’ll begin this morning with THE GOD WHO BREATHES LIFE.

READ: Genesis 2:4-7 and John 7:37-39

TRINITARIAN ASPIRATIONS

When considering this theme for our FDC, I thought I had narrowed it down quite a bit from going with the larger theme of the TRINITY. I mean, I believe I cut my material by a third — or so I thought. 

But we can’t really have a discussion on the other members of the Godhead without their reference to the Holy Spirit.

Here, we don’t overly focus our discussions on the Holy Spirit. It’s not that we neglect Him. But often times, He sort of hides in the background unseen. 

But He isn’t unseen in Scripture. In fact, the Spirit shows up in the second verse of Genesis 1. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

That’s the opening 3 verses of the Bible. And if you’ve been a believer for any duration, you’re likely familiar that all three persons of the Trinity come on the scene rather immediately. God, the Father creating. God the Spirit hovering. God the Son as the Word by which everything comes into being. 

WHO IS US?

Later in chapter 1, God will say, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The first-person plural conveys more than one person. So, the seeds for the Trinity are right here in the opening verses of Scripture. 

Of course, by itself, our finite minds would never come to that conclusion, especially since the rest of the Old Testament hammers home the point that God is One.

But here’s the thing about interpretation. By itself, Genesis 1:2 only tells us so much, in the sense that the interpreter has no other context. But Scripture doesn’t find its meaning by one’s own interpretation, but in the divine Author’s intent. 

As such, we must allow God Himself not only interpret for us but to teach us how to interpret the whole of Scripture — even where immediate direct explanation isn’t provided. 

We know that “us” in Genesis 1:26 is plural — Let us make man in our image — refers to the entire Godhead. But at a minimum, Genesis 1:2 provides a second referent — another person — besides the referent of God in verse 1. 

In other words, when taken with verse 26, we can recognize verse 2 as another divine person — the divinity of the Spirit — before we even move onto chapter 2. 

AGENT OF CREATION

The Holy Spirit is revealed as the Agent of Creation.
We see that in Psalm 33:6
 By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 

The word is רוּחַ (RUACH) — most often translated as spirit, wind, or breath. (A couple other Hebrew terms convey the same idea.)

OVERFLOW OF HIMSELF

Out of an overflow of who God is — namely life itself — God creates and gives Himself to His creation and His creatures — filling it all with His very breath. By the breath — the ruach — the Spirit of his mouth, God made all the hosts of heaven.

As we turn the page to Genesis 2, the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

LIFELESS CLAY?

How does man become a living creature? It’s not merely his being formed, as intimate as that picture is. At that point, mankind is simply a clay sculpture.
No. It’s only in the Lord breathing His very breath — His Spirit — into mans nostrils that the man becomes a living creature. What happens at that moment is God breathes Himself into the man.

God animates the clay — the Adamah — that’s where Adam’s name comes from. He’s a clay figurine. Apart from God’s breath — God’s Spirit within him — Adam’s no more than a lump of clay. 

God animates the clay with His breath — His Spirit. And the lifeless clay comes alive. 

ALL OF CREATION

But it’s not just true of mankind. We’re told all living creatures are alive because they have the breath of life within them.
(That’s made clear in the flood, after the Fall — when God cleanses the earth, and everything on dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 

Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 — because of the Fall, the same fate — that of death — happens to all — both man and beast. They both have the same breath — the One Spirit. 

Psalm 104. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

God’s Spirit animates, not just man, but all of creation.
Now, not all of creation is alive in the biological sense as the living creatures. But all of creation is animated by the Spirit in the sense that creation moves — just as the wind moves the atmosphere and trees and the waters. 

This is a God who moves solar systems and galaxies. 

UNSEEN YET SEEN

But here’s the thing. You can’t see Him. You can’t see the Spirit — only His work. But His work is evidenced everywhere — in everything that moves — because He is the Divine Mover.

SIN’S INCOMPATIBILITY WITH LIFE

But with sin — God’s Spirit no longer abides in man — not in any lasting sense. Man who was created to dwell with God by His Spirit forever, now dies and returns to the dust from which he was made.

Sin is incompatible with life. How? Because sin, in one sense, is rejecting the very Spirit of life, the breath of life, given to reside within.

We don’t have life in ourselves but depend entirely on the Spirit. When Adam and Eve turned away from God in the Garden, they turned away from life itself. On the day you eat, you shall surely die. 

INSANITY OF PRIDE

All because of this prideful creature called man desired to be autonomous. Just think of how absurd and insane sin is. Out of his desire for autonomy this creature who is utterly dependent for his every breath longs to sever himself from the only source of life there is. 

SEEING THE UNSEEABLE

[It might be helpful to pause and recognize that Scripture uses several images to portray the Spirit who is unseen. A few important ones: wind, breath, fire, water, fountains, anointing oil, dove and eagle.]

NEED FOR NEW CREATION

With the Flood, most of life on earth would come to an end. But not all. Where the flood waters swept away every living creature with the breath of life, Noah and those with him on the ark were spared.

Noah had found favor in the Lord’s eyes. Noah’s name means “rest.” When Noah was born, it was said of him, this one shall bring us rest.

Noah and the ark would come to rest atop the mountains of Ararat, as the flood waters gradually subsided.

And Noah would send out a dove, which found no place for her foot, for the waters were still over the face of the whole earth. (You should hear echoes of Genesis 1 and picture the Spirit hovering over the waters of the deep.)

(We know the literary link of the dove and the Spirit from Jesus’ baptism.)

7 days later — an olive branch.
Another 7 days, the dove does not return.
Creation 2.0 has begun. But it’s not long before sin reveals itself again. So much for any Sabbath rest Noah.

REDEMPTION CONTINUES

The story of redemption continues through Abraham and Israel with God calling a people to Himself.

The Exodus is described in terms very reminiscent of Creation and the Flood. 

The waters are parted by a strong east wind / Spirit.
Israel is brought through the waters like Noah.

Exodus 19:4 — the Lord’s recounting of the event
You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself.

Deuteronomy 32:10-11 describes the Lord encircling Israel — caring for him as the apple of his eye — Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters / hovers over its young, spreading out its wings…

Same word as in Genesis 1:2.

Just as the Spirit hovered over creation, here the Lord hovered over His people, who are as His offspring. His outstretched wings overshadowed them. He shades them under the protection of His wings. It’s a picture of the Spirit overshadowing this new creation.

It’s not enough for God to create — nor to give life. Why? Only God has life in Himself. As such, He must sustain and protect the life He has filled His people with if they are to thrive, much less survive.

DEFINING LIFE

Which brings us back to what exactly is life?
Is it movement? Intentional self-movement?

Scientists describe biological life as that which is marked by metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction.

Philosophers define life as the aspect of existence that processes, acts, reacts, evaluates, and evolves.
Not very exciting is it. (And that’s why we have poets.) Life is certainly more than the scientist or philosopher conveys it to be.

MEANING

The popular question: what is the meaning of life? Has been answered many ways. But most often, it is answered by those who don’t even know the origin of life. It’s helpful to know where life comes from and why one has it if we are to answer such a question.

But when humanity denies the source of life, it’s no surprise that we have so much confusion as to who we are, much less the meaning of life. Why was I born this way? Was I born in the wrong body? These types of questions arise out of a denial of life’s origin. But get the origin right, these questions quickly go away.

BREATH OF ALL MANKIND

Remember, there are different senses of life. At a minimum, there’s animation, biological, and spiritual. Each of these are dependent on the Holy Spirit.

In that sense, all of creation and all persons participate to some degree in the Holy Spirit. This includes unregenerate persons. Those who aren’t believers are dependent upon the Holy Spirit for their every breath. He is the source of all life. There is no life at all apart from the Spirit. 

Hence, Paul has no problem speaking to unbelievers in such a way. Acts 17 at the Areopagus — The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to ALL MANKIND life and breath and everything.

Paul goes on to say that God is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being. 

And it makes perfect sense, that God the Holy Spirit, who is omnipresent, fills creation, including unbelievers. 

REDEMPTIVE FOCUS

But usually, when we’re speaking of being filled with the Holy Spirit, Scripture doesn’t have biological life in mind, but spiritual life. Only believers — only the regenerate have the Holy Spirit in a redemptive sense.

SPIRITUAL LIFE

So just as the Spirit is the source of life and generation of biological life in creation, He is also the source of spiritual life and its preservation. 

SPIRITUALLY DEAD

While the Exodus was meant to portray new life and new creation (baptism through the Red Sea) — by the time we get to the prophets, it’s clear that the people of Israel are dead — not biologically dead — but dead in the sense that matters— they are spiritually dead. 

THE LIFE THAT MATTERS

[And why does spiritual death matter more than biological death? Because we are spiritual creatures. We have a body and a soul / spirit. What makes up our lives is not so much the physical. The physical, more than anything else, is so we can, as finite physical creatures, comprehend something of the spiritual. But the material — the physical — is all going to perish. It benefits us very little to seek to preserve that which can’t be preserved. But it matters eternally seeking to preserve that which remains forever. 

Bodily training is of some value. But godliness is of value in every way. For it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Yet how much of our focus is on that which will perish.]

DEAD WORSHIP

Anyway, Israel failed to attend to that which held the infinitely greater value — their spiritual life. Even possessing the oracles of God and His instruction — they held little regard for the God who was their life. Instead, they wanted to be like the nations and worship false gods — statues in which there wasn’t any breath — statues that were less alive than they were. And as the psalmist wrote, those who worship them become like them. 

They exchanged the fountain of living water and worshiped that which was dead and became dead themselves.

DRY BONES

Just how dead was the house of Israel? They were like dry bones. But God’s plan of redemption is to breathe life into that which is dead.

Ezekiel 37. You know this account — the valley of dry bones.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. Bones … many bones, and they covered the surface of the valley — literally, the face of the valley. 

CAN THEY LIVE

And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live? 

Ezekiel’s response: O Lord God, you know.
If life comes from God and only from God, unless He gives these bones life, no way can they live. But the God who breathes life into clay can certainly breath life into dead dry bones.

So the Lord commands Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones. Say to the, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

NOT WITHOUT BREATH

What makes the bones come alive? It’s not with the sinews and flesh and skin. But the breath — the ruach — the Spirit.

Ezekiel prophesies, and the bones rattle and come together, with sinews and flesh and skin, but so long as there’s no breath in them, they remain dead. Just as in Genesis 2, forming the body isn’t sufficient. They need to be filled with life — with the One who is life — with the Spirit Himself.

Then the Lord said to me,”Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.

And the bones lived.

What do the bones represent? We’re told they represent the whole house of Israel, whose bones are dried up, all hope is lost.

I mean, being dead is about as hopeless as it gets… But God. Isn’t that Ephesians 2. But God.

MY SPIRIT

So, again, the Lord instructs Ezekiel to prophesy. Say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves… and I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live. 

GREATER SON OF MAN

Isn’t it interesting that Ezekiel’s title is Son of man. 93 times Ezekiel is referred to as the Son of man. Of course, this is Jesus’ most used title for himself — over 80 times in the gospels he refers to himself as the Son of man. (Daniel 7, I know. But don’t discount the allusions to Ezekiel. Ears to hear — 12:2.)

It is when the true Son of Man comes prophesying — speaking the Word of the Lord to the dead — that they will come alive. 

O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

John 5:25. And when the dead hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 

THE SON GIVES LIFE

Jesus says, just as the Father gives life (John 5:21), so the Son of God gives life to whom he will. How can the Son give anyone life? Because he has life in himself. (John 5:26) For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

Just as Ezekiel, as the shadow of the son of man prophesied to the breath to fill the dead corpses, Jesus, the True Son of Man speaks to the Spirit — come four winds — a picture of the Spirit’s omnipresence. Jesus sends the Spirit to fill us who were dead.

ALIVE TO GOD

Of course, Ezekiel 37 goes with Ezekiel 36.
(36:25) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanesses, and from your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put MY SPIRIT within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

The Spirit doesn’t simply make alive biologically speaking but spiritually. The deadness is expressed in the people’s heart of stone — our heart of stone. We were dead and unfeeling as regards God! (That’s what we’ve been covering in Romans 1. Although they knew God…)

AWAKENED TO GOD

The Spirit awakens us not so much physically but to God Himself.

This is the new birth that was promised throughout the prophets. We just looked at one. And this is the new birth Jesus is referring to when Nicodemus comes to under the cover of darkness in John 3 — and he tells Nicodemus, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus doesn’t know what to do with this. How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb?

Truly, I say to you, Jesus says, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

WHERE THE WIND BLOWS

Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus is lost. How can these things be? He is Israel’s teacher — emphatically, he is the teacher of Israel, and he doesn’t understand the teaching about the New Birth and the Spirit’s role in it. 

CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM

But that’s part of the point. Nicodemus too needs to be born again, or literally, born from above if he is to see — understand — comprehend the kingdom of God. 

All of his vast education mattered not. He could memorize the Scriptures, but apart from being born of the Spirit, the things of the kingdom of God were but a fog. 

SKEPTICAL TEACHERS

Every now and then, I’ll read some of the skeptical scholars. It’s amazing how many unbelieving professors there are that teach theology — that teach the Bible. They aren’t believers, and yet they study the Scriptures far more than your average believer does. 

I’ll come across something they have written on this or that passage of Scripture, and they’ll interpret it. And at one level, they understand the passage. They know the meaning of words. They know their Greek and Hebrew. They trace out the historic background. And for the most part, what they have to share is what you’ll find in the notes of the average Study Bible. 

WHAT ARE THEY MISSING

But like Nicodemus, they are missing it. They are missing the spiritual emphasis. They’re missing the glory and the beauty. Their unbelief leaves them blind to seeing the truth of the text. Why? Because they haven’t been born from above. They can’t see the kingdom of God for what it truly is. Because they have no taste for it. And because they have no taste for it, they will not enter it.

It’s not accidental that the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom. Just as our new birth must take place from above — so to our redemption. The two go hand in hand. There are no resources here below. No physician, no education, no health regiment, no workout plan, no diet, no science, no machine, no magic drug, nothing that can make you spiritually alive but the God who is Spirit. 

Because every one of us, since the Fall, have been born dead in our trespasses and sins — and we walked in that deadness. 

We were all dry bones — dead and hopeless. How dead? Dead to the point we didn’t even realize we were dead.

It’s no surprise that there’s so much confusion as to the meaning of life. You can’t see it, you can’t grasp it, unless you are born from above. 

One must have life before they can grasp the meaning of it. 

But we can’t make ourselves alive. It must come from above.

THE SPIRIT AND CHRIST

So, where does our new birth and new life come from? The God who became man, taking on the very likeness of our flesh, relied on the same Spirit all humanity was to rely on. 

When Jesus came, he came in the sense of Genesis 1:2. Remember what the angel Gabriel says to Mary? The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. The Holy Spirit would hover over Mary like a dove. And she would conceive and bear a Son who would be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus would know life as we were to know it — filled with the same breath of life, the same Holy Spirit, the first Adam was filled with. And on the cross, Jesus would breathe his last and give up that Spirit in order to restore life and the Spirit to us.

A NEW NOAH

When Jesus begins his ministry and is baptized through the waters, it’s no surprise that he comes as one who is filled with the Spirit, upon whom the Spirit rests like a dove. He comes as the one promised in Isaiah 11:2, upon whom the Spirit will rest and thus able to give rest to his people. In other words, a new Noah has come on the scene. Jesus comes and gives us the rest that Noah’s name pointed to.

RIVERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Jesus comes as the one who will pour out the Spirit without measure. 

That’s why we read from Ezekiel 47 at the beginning of service. This is what’s Jesus is referring to in John 7. 

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now, this he said about the Spirit with whom those who believed in him were to receive. For as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The wording can go two ways. The question is, out of whose heart will flow this river of living water? Most of our translations seem to suggest it’s the believer. But it is very likely that Jesus is the antecedent in the third person, because he is referring to what the Old Testament Scriptures have long pointed. Ezekiel 47 is just one.

THE TRUE TEMPLE FROM WITH WATERS FLOW

This helps us to understand better how we are to handle those final chapters in Ezekiel. Rather than expecting a physical brick and mortar temple to be erected in Jerusalem in the last days, Jesus inaugurates the last days with his coming. He comes as the temple. And it is out of him, the true temple that these living waters flow, giving new life to all creation.

Jesus is the temple from which the rivers of living water will flow in the giving of the Spirit to everyone who believes. 

COME FIND REST

Let me ask. Have you believed? Have you been born from above?

The Spirit in you may be unseen, but His work in you should not be. It should be evident.

If you haven’t received this new birth, then receive Jesus’ words and respond today. 

Come to me, and I will give you rest. The New Noah upon whom the Spirit rested, from whom life itself flows, invites you to come to Him and receive rest. 

Because as long as you are seeking rest anywhere other than in Christ, from whom the Spirit flows, you won’t find rest. You will only wear yourself out. Why? Because you’re searching for life and seeking to sustain and preserve life apart from the One who offers you the life itself from His very Spirit. 

Instead, simply receive the gift that Jesus holds out with outstretched arms. Just as he told the woman at the well, he has living water. What is this living water? It’s the Spirit. 

WATER AND SPIRIT

Remember Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 

There’s actually no definite article in front of Spirit. It would be better translated, unless one is born of water and spirit, or even, unless one is born of water and breath. 

Jesus is likely using two words to address the same thing, in order to cover the Old Testaments different ways of conveying the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is represented by both water and breath — living water and the breath of life. Being born of water and spirit here are one and the same thing. 

And when Jesus dies on the cross, and they pierce his side, what does John say flows from Jesus’ side? Not just blood, but water. Living water falls upon the thirst ground as a picture of the Spirit Jesus is about to pour out. 

Likewise, after the resurrection, Jesus breathes on his disciples saying what? Receive the Holy Spirit. This also points to the Spirit Jesus will pour out from on high after his ascension at Pentecost — and to every believer who comes after.

Have you receive the Spirit? Those who have receive the Spirit in this age, receive new life now. You have new life now. 

HOPE

But we also have the hope, the sure hope, that when we breathe our last on this present earth, just as Jesus breathed his last — see, following our Lord, means following our Lord. These present bodies will die and rot in the ground. But not our spirit. 

And one day, those bodies will be raised anew and filled forever with the everlasting presence of the eternal God — forever filled with the Holy Spirit.

Matt Smart

   Judgment According to Truth (Romans 2:1-2) 

INTRODUCTION

Who am I to judge. It’s not my place to judge. 

These are common phrases. We all know them. Some of us have used them. 

But most of the time, these phrases come bearing judgment disguised in my own personal opinion. Of course that opinion stands against the other person’s decision and action. But we somehow think we’ve softened the idea of judgment by portraying it as a preference rather than a judgment.

Aren’t we crafty!

In our society, tolerance and acceptance are the new standard of righteousness. And the greatest sin of all — according to public opinion — you guessed it — judgment of another. 

And yet, that itself is a judgment. We pass judgment on those who would judge another. 

This is actually a portrait of Paul’s very argument he opens with in chapter 2. O the irony!

The list of vices, the dishonorable passions, the lusts of the fallen human heart is not our problem. They are a problem. They are God’s judgment upon a fallen humanity for exchanging God — for giving Him up for lesser things — infinitely lesser things, because everything else piled together is infinitely less than God.)

But our greatest problem is our stance toward God Himself. What we think of God and our finding Him unworthy of our honor, unworthy of our thanksgiving, unworthy even of our acknowledgment. 

So, in chapter 2, Paul addresses the individual who has listened to Paul’s case against humanity in the second half of chapter 1, and somehow missed Paul’s point — that Paul must be referring to others — but certainly not me!

The person who seems to be in agreement with Paul, that humanity is filled with those who are depraved, debased, and dishonorable. But thank God, I’m nothing like that!

Well, chapter 2 is for those who somehow think in chapter 1, Paul wasn’t referring to them.

READ: Romans 2:1-5

LOVING CHAPTER 1

I imagine Paul has in mind, someone having just read the first chapter of his letter to the Romans, and before turning to chapter 2, they find themselves in hearty agreement with him. 

Perhaps Paul’s letter is being read out loud to the congregation in Rome, and you have that person on the front row with his loud “Amens.”

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. AMEN!

For God’s invisible attributes… have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world… So they are without excuse. AMEN!

For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him. AMEN!

They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images. AMEN!

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. AMEN!

They  did not see fit to acknowledge God. AMEN!

They were filled with … full of … they are … AMEN!

They not only practice such things but give approval to those who practice them. AMEN!

And the reader pauses between chapters. And the guy is like: This Paul fellow is good! These people are rightly condemned! They know God’s righteous decree, so they are justly deserving of the condemnation that’s coming. Amen Paul!

We’re loving the second half of chapter 1. Can’t wait to hear chapter 2!

MISSING THE POINT

Many seem to hear the second half of chapter 1 and commend Paul. They feel as if they have passed the test — that Paul’s indictment against humanity somehow excludes them.

“Wait a minute,” says Paul. You obviously missed something. You see, the second half of Romans 1 encompasses all of us — including me — and including you. You, my friend, are guilty too.

I’m not sure where we got off. What you failed to grasp. Is it that you’re heterosexual? So, you think you can cross off verses 26 and 27 of chapter 1 as if they don’t apply to you?

[As we covered two weeks ago, those verses are about all of us — because they aren’t so much about sexuality as they are about the dishonorable and disordered affections that are grounded in an excessive love of self — of sameness — of self-worship.]

You’re claiming to know God and His ways, doesn’t excuse you. Because you don’t live out what you know to be true, any more than those in chapter 1 fail to live out what they know to be true.

You wield God’s law as a mallet to whack others into line when your ways are every bit as crooked — and worse — you somehow think they’re not — because your assessment of yourself is based on a distorted standard. 

Which takes us to No Excuse 2.0.

NO EXCUSE 2.0

Therefore, you have no excuse o man, everyone of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

Notice the therefore at the beginning of verse 1. Therefore, given the argument of the second half of chapter 1 that you find yourself supposedly in agreement with, you have no excuse. 

1:20. Just as everyone is without excuse for suppressing the truth God has made plain to them — here is Paul’s “No Excuse 2.0.” 

You prove that you know God’s righteous decree every time you pass judgment on another and hold them to standards you yourself fail to live by — standards of ought which reveal that you know the eternal law of God — with or without Scripture. You apply God’s righteous decree to others while failing to apply it to yourself.

APPROVING AND DISAPPROVING

You see what Paul did? In 2 verses, he covered everyone’s stance toward sin. The last verse of chapter 1 deals with those who approve of other people’s sins. And the first verse of chapter 2 deals with those who disapprove of other people's sins. 

If you approve of their sins, you are condemned with those in verse 32. If you disapprove of their sin, you condemn yourself. 

Do you approve of other people’s sin? Oh no, I don’t approve of their sin.
So, you disapprove of their sin. Yes. That’s me. I disapprove of their sin. Then you are self-condemned. 

Well, then, I’ll just be indifferent — I’ll ignore the whole world. Let them live how they want.
Well, that’s a type of approval. 

But the bottom line is, we all actually find ourselves on both sides of these two verses. Sometimes we do approve of the wrongdoing of others. And sometimes, we disapprove of the wrongdoing of others. 

Everyone falls on both sides of this. And that’s part of the point.

DRIVING THE POINT

We could simply look at how most of us respond to other people’s driving, and how we ourselves drive. 

Some car flies past us. O he’s going way too fast. He’s going to cause an accident.
Or you get behind someone driving too slow for your taste, and you become impatient. 

But let me ask. Are you ever the slower car? On a two lane road, do you ever find someone tailgating you? Does your speedometer ever crack the posted speed limit? It’s not a suggested speed. It’s not how fast you’re supposed to drive even. It’s the fastest you are permitted to drive. 

Listen loved ones. I’m guilty. My speed will often be a couple, if not a few miles over the limit. And I consider myself I fairly safe — law-abiding driver. But do you know what that means? What I’m really saying is, “Well, I don’t break the law to the degree she breaks does!” So, is that supposed to make me somehow innocent of breaking the law?

COMPARATIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Paul’s point is, in our passing judgment on others, we condemn ourselves because we are guilty of the same sort of things. And yet, we somehow have this standard of comparative righteousness, as if my righteousness, at least externally, appears to be a little more righteous than another’s, then I’m supposedly innocent. 

But that’s not how justice works. 

The judge doesn’t take up your case and then weigh it based on the other defendant he’s heard so far that day and those he anticipates hearing after you and say — Well, based on Tommy’s heinous crime, I’m going to declare you innocent. What sort of justice is that?

ACCORDING TO TRUTH

VERSE 2. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Literally, God’s judgment is according to truth.

God doesn’t judge the world on a curve. He judges rightly. He judges righteously. God judges according to truth.

Yet, in our mind, if we lined every person who ever lived according to their own personal righteousness, we would tend to set ourselves as the standard needed to be right before God.

Well, I’m not as bad as Hitler. But I’m no Billy Graham either.

Lord, I think we should draw the line here — somewhere just below where I stand. This group I’m in goes to heaven. The rest, do to them as You see fit. 

That is how most of the world understands righteousness. Sadly, that’s how most of the church understands righteousness. 

But the standard isn’t your neighbor, and it certainly isn’t you. The standard is Christ. Jesus’ righteousness is the only standard sufficient to save oneself.

NOAH, DANIEL, JOB

Picture in Ezekiel 14: The Lord pronounces unstoppable judgment on the house of Israel and Jerusalem. 

Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord. 

… even if these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.

Four times the Lord makes this pronouncement:
… even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.

INSUFFICIENT RIGHTEOUSNESS

Now, what the text is not saying is that these men were sinless. Noah got drunk. Job accused God of being unjust toward him. Daniel confessed his sins along with the sins of his people. These men weren’t sinless. They were men of faith — faith which, like Abraham’s, was credited to them as righteousness.

But their righteousness was insufficient to save anyone else. Their righteousness, even their collective righteousness was insufficient to save their own people — not even their own sons and daughters.

So, what would make you think your righteousness, that’s supposedly a bit more righteous than the person next to you, would suffice to save yourself. 

There is but One, whose righteousness is sufficient to save, not only Himself from the grave, but to save and gather together all the children of God. And that’s the Son of God, Jesus Christ. 

Only one person, due to His own righteousness, stands innocent of Paul’s charges against humanity — and that’s the Lord Jesus Christ — who was counted guilty — condemned even — not for any sin of His own — but for the some total of humanity’s sin.

LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES

Here’s the thing. We watch the movies and read the stories. What does the bad guy generally thing regarding his own morality and righteousness? Most often, he thinks he’s in the right. He doesn’t believe he’s actually done anything wrong. Any harm he causes to another, he feels they somehow deserved it, and that he was justified in his actions. 

Well, that’s not just the movies. That’s real life. I’m fairly confident that Hitler didn’t see himself as evil. And we can use plenty of examples today, but I’ll refrain. You can speculate.

The point is, that’s how disordered our own faculties are. We tend to think our evil actions are good — at least good for us. That’s what eating the fruit has led to. We seek to determine good and evil for ourselves, according to our own standard. 

Because we have rejected the God who is TRUTH as our standard of righteousness, we privately feel our actions are not all that bad — that they are justified. Otherwise, we wouldn’t do them.

The one who murders feels justified in doing so. Likewise, the adulterer. Proverbs 30:20. This is the way of the adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”

We tend to have one standard for ourselves and another standard for others — Proverbs 20:10 —We use differing weights and measures.

PRAISING GOD FOR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

And we even praise God for our own comparative righteousness. 

Luke 18:11. Lord, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even this tax collector.

As Paul writes to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 10:12): When we measure ourselves by one another and compare ourselves with one another, we are without understanding.

And even then, we fail to assess ourselves rightly. Just as the Pharisee thought he was the one who was justified, when it was actually the penitent broken tax collector.

Because here’s the thing. We don’t even live up to the standards we set for others. How much less God’s standard.

ALIGNED WITH GOD’S JUDGMENT

It’s right to disapprove of what God disapproves of. But disapproving along with God doesn’t make one right with God. So, long as we practice the very things God disapproves of, we are under the same judgment.

And humanity proves more often than many would like to admit, just how often we all disapprove of the things God disapproves of. 

AHAB’S RELEASE OF BEN-HADAD

Samuel read for us the account of Ahab releasing Ben-Hadad and making a covenant with him — an enemy of God’s people whom the Lord had given into Ahab’s hands for destruction. 

One of the prophets secretly confronted Ahab, disguising himself with a wound and a bandage. He cried out to King Ahab. Your servant went out in the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, “Guard this man with your life.” But your servant was busy here and there, and the man was gone.

Ahab, like many of us, had a quick response. So, shall your judgment be. You yourself have decided it. So, the prophet hurried and removed the bandage and Ahab recognized him. And the prophet, announced the Lord’s judgment upon Ahab — the very same judgment Ahab had pronounced against the prophet for his story. 

In judging others, we condemn ourselves, for we practice the very same things.

DAVID REBUKED

Well, the most well known example is perhaps that of King David after he takes Uriah’s wife for his own and has Uriah killed in battle. Nathan presents David with the account of a rich man and a poor man. And a traveler came to the rich man. But the rich man was unwilling to depart with any of his own for the guest who had come, and instead, the rich man took the poor man’s sole ewe lamb and prepared that for the traveler.

The account is enough to make any of us furious at such injustice. And that was exactly David’s response. David’s anger was kindled against the rich man, and pronounced his own judgment against him. The man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

And Nathan’s response to David. “You are the man!”

Loved ones. If the man after God’s own heart was blind to his own sin — willfully blind because he suppressed the truth of just how abhorrent his actions were before the Lord — what makes you think that you see your own sin so fully and clearly?

But here’s the thing. Once David was convicted, he immediately repented. I have sinned.

And Nathan follows up with these words: The Lord has put away your sin.

Loved ones, if we but repent, those words are for us. The Lord has put away your sin. But so long as you think Paul’s case against all of humanity doesn’t apply to you — so long as you see in yourself nothing of which to repent — your sin remains yours to cover.

JUDAH AND TAMAR

My family is working through Genesis. And just this week, we saw how Judah was ready to have his daughter in law, Tamar, burned for her sexual immorality because she was pregnant but her husbands, Judah’s sons, were dead. And everyone knows you don’t get pregnant by accident. So, there must have been some promiscuity on Tamar’s part.

As Tamar was being brought out to be burned, she sent word to her father-in-law. “By the man to whom these items belong, I am pregnant.” What were the items? They were Judah’s own signet, cord, and staff — the pledge that Judah himself gave her to sleep with her.

We don’t have time to cover the eye-opening transformation this had on Judah, who had sold his own brother into slavery in Egypt, but listen to Judah’s words here. She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.

She is more righteous than I. That, loved ones, is judgment according to truth. But how often we fail to come to that conclusion. But this is the turning point in Judah’s life. Before, he saw himself as justified in his sin. But this is the Judah who will now go on to offer himself in exchange for his brother Benjamin, the younger brother of the one he sold into slavery.

NOT ACCORDING TO TRUTH

The problem with our own judgment is that it is not according to truth. Our vision is impaired by our own sin.

This is why Jesus himself warns against judging others. 

Matthew 7:1-5. Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

This is likely one of the most misinterpreted and misapplied passages in Scripture. Jesus is not giving a blanket statement against judging. He’s pressing the fact that in our fallen nature we fail to judge according to truth. And until our sin is confronted and dealt with, we are unfit to judge rightly.

But that this is an all out prohibition against judging is not what’s being expressed. 

JUDGING ANGELS AND OTHER MATTERS

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! (1 Corinthians 6:3)

Jesus is addressing hypocritical judging. We see that in the passage itself. Jesus is warning against passing sentence on someone when you harbor those same sins inside yourself. 

They are in need of the same mercy you need. The reason we expose sin for what it is, is so that it can be nailed to the cross — so they might know repentance — so they might be restored. 

We don’t expose sin for another’s condemnation. We’re not equipped to pronounce such judgments. Because only God can see the heart. And only God knows the end game for each individual.

Leviticus 19:15. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. Jesus didn’t come to contradict Scripture but fulfill it. Jesus never teaches anything that is out of line with the rest of God’s Word. Rather, he communicates the fullness of what was always intended.

What Jesus is saying, is that before you can judge rightly to help your brother, you first have to judge yourself rightly. You first have to be able to rightly assess your own sin, before you can help your brother with his. 

BEAM OF TIMBER

But notice the contrast. The word “log” or “plank” is that of a beam of timber that supports the house, such as a joist or rafter. The comparison is that of a great beam of timber verses a splinter.

First take the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter that is in your brother's eye (Luke 6:42).

I'm often blind to my sin, not because it's not right before my eyes, but because I don’t want to see it. I'd rather suppress the truth and think more highly of myself than I ought. 

Notice that the point of Jesus' parable is not to ignore my brother's splinter. It'd be foolish to think my brother enjoys having a painful splinter in his eye. But he's been just as blind to his splinter as I have been to the beam of timber in my own eye. Love insists that I care for my brother in the best way possible. The question is, "How?" 

Jesus' parable is clear. I must first recognize just how much my own sin impairs my vision, making it difficult if not impossible for me to be of any assistance to my brother in helping him with his own. 

Only in seeing just how great my sin within is — how it far surpasses any outward sin I could ever see concerning my brother — am I then able to gently, lovingly, and with humility help my brother with his splinter by pointing him to the same care I so desperately need — a great Physician who heals our impaired vision by being nailed to the very beam of timber that once blinded me from seeing God rightly for who He is — that blinded me from seeing His perfect goodness and love.

TABLE OF JUDGMENT

It’s imperative that we learn to assess ourselves rightly — to judge ourselves by God’s standard. 

At the communion table, Paul addresses this very issue with the church in Corinth. (1 Corinthians 11:31.)
If we judge ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned with the world.

The Lord’s Supper …

The only way we’ll be able to judge rightly — to judge ourselves according to truth — is in seeing our sin nailed to the beam of timber that once impaired our vision — seeing the grotesqueness of sin for what it is — seeing the necessity of our sin being judged, and not just judged but fully judged — and that the penalty — how horrific — the fullness of what death is — a full and utter separation from the lovingkindness of the Father and all His goodness. 

That’s what the Son of God endured for your sin. 

Jesus’ payment on the cross isn’t a license for us to continue in sin, for how can we continue in that which caused our Lord so much pain and grief.

MIRROR

So, here’s a challenge. Any time you notice another person’s sin, imagine there’s a mirror pointing right back to you. And before saying a word to them, ask yourself how might your sin be like theirs … 

Peter’s sin and restoration — went on to write powerfully and with humility. He was able to judge according to truth because he was confronted with his own sin — and was welcomed and embraced by the nail scarred hands he had once betrayed and abandoned. 

That didn’t mean Peter walked in perfection. But he walked differently. He walked according to truth. 

Go and do likewise.

  God Gave Them Up: Unfit Mind (Romans 1:28-32)

INTRODUCTION:

Ecclesiastes 1:7. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

The Great Lakes — fascinating system.

Rain, when it falls, the water descends until it reaches the lowest point. Dams may restrain the water from descending further — for a time. But as the water builds, it either overflows the dam, or it is released to continue its downward descent — until it reaches that next gracious restraint and overflows yet again.

We’re continuing to walk through what might be referred to as Paul’s exposition of the Fall of Mankind. And the question we might ask ourselves: Is there an end? Is there a bottom, a lowest point to man’s depravity?

Is there a point at which man has reached or could reach in the depths of his sin, in which he will go no further?

In other words, is there an end to fallen man’s corruptness?

I have a utility trailer I use for work. And I’m often fighting against rust. If the rust is left unaddressed, eventually, it will eat through the metal in its entirety, until the whole trailer, the entire vehicle is useless — unfit for anything good.

Our corruptness isn’t rust. It’s sin. And it needs to be addressed before it permanently destroys us. But before the remedy, we have to come face to face with the problem. That’s what we’re looking at as we wrap up Romans 1 this morning.

READ (Romans 1:18-32)

DOWNWARD EXCHANGE

Paul has been walking us through the downward trajectory of the exchange of God — highlighted by a threefold series of exchanges. We’ve noted the 3-fold exchange over the past few weeks. Now, we’re going to look at how this 3-fold exchange is presented as a downward trajectory.

FIRST

First (v23) we have the exchange of glory. Manind exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for that of the corrupted glory of copies of images. Rather than content to be the glorious image of God, mankind fashioned their own images in which to portray God — images fashioned after themselves. 

SECOND

Second (v25) is the exchange of truth and worship. They exchanged of truth of the One who is the foundational reality of everything else. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie — and in turn, they worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.

ONE STEP FURTHER

But Paul takes his argument one step further. This great exchange wasn’t some unconscious decision on the part of God’s image-bearers. This wasn’t some accidental oversight in which man was confused as to just who God is. And it wasn’t some mere temptation that drew us away from God to worship something else.

The climax of this exchange — or rather, the anti-climax — is that mankind actually tested God — examined all that could be known about God — and did not like what they found. So, they determined God to be unfit to even have in their knowledge. 

ΔΟΚΙΜΆΖΩ

The Greek word is δοκιμάζω — which means to approve of something after testing. It’s the idea of examining something to reveal its true worth, as when one assays metals — often through fire — to judge its quality and value. Is the gold or silver pure? 

MARKET PLACE

In the market place, merchants and moneychangers would examine or test coins to see whether or not they were genuine, as well as their value. And then they’d either accept them as payment or not — they approve of their value or not. 

CANDIDATES

Similar to our election process, the candidates for the Roman senate would be tested, examined, scrutinized as to whether they were fit for public office or not. (Consider our process. We have candidates who are so obviously unfit, and yet, we give them our stamp of approval. But that’s verse 32.)

SCRUTINIZED GOD

Well, in a similar fashion, God has been scrutinized and examined and found unworthy of even our acknowledgment. Fallen man disapproves of God, and hence, bans God from his very knowledge. It’s this disapproval of God that has led to the exchange of worship, and thus the exchange of glory.

DISAPPROVING GOD

Our first parents looked at the fruit. But in considering the fruit, they also considered God. Didn’t God say.

Well, I don’t approve of God’s decree. Likewise, I don’t approve of the God behind the decree. So, they ate.

CONSTANT SUPPRESSION

Of course, it takes a constant suppression of the truth because one cannot rid God completely from their worldview, try as they may. That’s why, no sooner did Adam and Eve eat, they hid. They could only suppress the truth for a time — just long enough to give into their true desire. But the reality of God is always there. So, they sewed together fig leaves — in an attempt to hide their obvious guilt.

INTENTIONALLY ATHEISTIC

Apart from Christ, this is all of our condition. While there is no genuine atheist in that everyone actually knows — all of humanity is intentionally atheistic in their worldviews as regards the God who is — in that they don’t approve of having God in their knowledge. 

This is why idols and false gods are simply another way of hiding from God. They can’t displace the reality of God. So, they fashion false gods according to their own liking. 

NO PRACTICAL DIFFERENCE

But there’s no practical difference between professing to be an atheist or an agnostic and that of worshiping idols. Because to believe and trust in false gods is to believe and trust in gods who are not. The reality of one’s condition is the same. They are without hope and without God in their own little world or worldview which they seek to craft for themselves.

DOWNWARD CORRUPTION

This downward exchange of God leads to a downward corruption. Paul’s 3-fold exchange of God is followed by a 3-fold God giving humanity up to their exchange. And just as Paul lays out this exchange in a downward trajectory, we are to see God giving them up in a similar downward trajectory. 

UNREGULATED DESIRE

First, God gave them up to unregulated desire — in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.

DISHONORABLE DESIRES

Second, God gives them up to dishonorable desires — passions in which there is an obvious corruption of the natural order. This is most obviously displayed in same-sex relationships. But homosexuality is not the lowest bar of corruption. 

DEBASED MIND

Third, God gives them up to a debased mind. Their very mental faculties are corrupt — approving that which is clearly evil as good.

The word is the same root at the beginning of verse 28, where man tested God and did not approve of Him, So God gave man over to an unapproving mind. Or to follow more closely to the ESV, since mankind didn’t see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind to do what ought not to be done.

EXCHANGE AND ITS CONSEQUENCE

So, to follow the exchange and the consequences:
They did not honor God, so God gave them over to dishonor.
They exchange the worship of God; God gave them over to unholy worship.
They exchanged the truth about God; God gave them over to false practices.
(Same-sex unions are a fiction — impossible. They are an exchange of reality — obvious reality.)

Finally, they did not find God fit; God gave them over to an unfit mind. An unfit mind is the fruit of seeing God as unfit. To disapprove of God necessarily entails a disapproval of all who God is and stands for. 

In other words, image-bearers who were created to reflect God, instead are given over to do what ought not to be done. 

FUNDAMENTAL SIN

It’s important for us to recognize, before we look at Paul’s list of sins — 21 vices in verses 29, 30, and 31 — that the fundamental sin is not lust or sexual immorality, nor is it homosexuality, nor is it this list of 21 vices found in the following verses. 

The fundamental sin is a failure to worship God in truth by honoring Him and giving thanks to Him. Every other sin is a consequence of this one! All other sin is an outworking of mankind’s idolatry, which in judgment, God gave them over to.

The fundamental reality in all the universe is who God is, and what is expected of mankind in knowing who He is. 

Because they did not think God was fit to be known, God gave them up to an unfit mind so that they now do those things which are unfitting.

VICE LIST

This list of 21 vices is by no means meant to be exhaustive. There are approximately 30 such lists in the New Testament, none of them identical. They are meant to capture — not so much the specifics of each individual sin or sinful tendency — but the comprehensive nature of sin in that the who person is unwell — the whole person is unfit to do any good whatsoever. 

Where they found God to be unfit — they are unfit to image Him.

This list serves as a general wide-ranging depiction of an unfit mind that is so unfit that it finds the Creator — from whom they enjoy their every good — as unfit. What could be more astonishing!

But listen loved ones. Outside of Christ, that was me. That was all of us! It’s not that society is as bad as it could be, nor that every vice describes every individual.
Yet, to the extent one finds God unfit in their mind, their mind is thus unfit. As such they will either approve of the evil or the evildoer. 

THREE DIVISIONS

This list is divided into three groups, in a sense, to match the ever-deepening corruption. They have been filled; they are full of; and they are.

Remember. This is God’s judgment on a people who have found Him unfit. In finding God unfit, they are filled with the opposite of godliness.

HAVE BEEN FILLED

First group. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil covetousness, malice. 

Where mankind was created upright. A rejection of God leaves a vacuum of ungodliness. No corruption is off the table here. But the passive nature of the verb suggests that they aren’t filling themselves with these things. There being filled with this 4-fold representation of ungodliness is a consequence of disapproving of God.

These are the opposite of good. And that’s the point. That’s what abandoning God for the fruit has led to — and must inevitably lead to. To abandon God is to abandon that which is good — the greatest good.
As such, sin is an ever-increasing decline.

FULL OF

The second group is the result of that vacuum of ungodliness — that which they are full of. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They aren’t just wicked but full of wickedness. 

In one sense, absent of knowing God, there’s an emptiness within fallen man in which nothing else can fill. And yet, here, Paul is stating that mankind is actually full of something — full of those things that in actuality are empty.

Think of envy. Envy is absent of love, joy, gratitude. Murder is absent of life. Strife is absent peace. Deceit is absent of truth. Maliciousness is absent grace, kindness, goodness. 

Rather than full of life, they are full of that which is empty and dead. 

ENVY

Envy, for example, finds no joy in another person’s privileges or pleasures. Where another’s hoppiness should cheer us, mankind’s debased mind brings them misery instead. Envy cannot bear to witness God’s favor toward another. 

(Consider the Jews of Paul’s day. That hated the idea that the gentiles could be included in God’s plan of salvation. As such, the vast majority of them rejected the gospel precisely because of their envy — that God might wish to do good to them too.) 

But listen loved ones. That’s us. Our fallen nature has the same tendency. Just consider how you respond in here (in the heart) when you here of someone else’s goodness — especially if that someone else is someone you don’t particularly care for.

THEY ARE

The last group, the longest of the three, goes from being filled with, to being full of, to simply they are. Each of these last 12 are in the accusative case. They are these things. 

This last group could probably be further subdivided into 4 smaller groups — 2, 4, 2, 4.

SPEECH THAT TEARS DOWN

They are gossips and slanderers. Both deal with speech, but not just any speech. Speech designed to ruin another’s reputation — designed to tear down.

Do you see how these fall in with the previous 5. People gossip and slander because they are full of envy. They gossip and slander seeking to destroy another person, even if only reputationally — hence they are full of murder. 

They gossip and slander because they are at strife with one another. 

Gossip and slander is a form of deceit. Even if true on the surface, the reason one shares such is to give a more negative impression of reality to one’s disfavor. (Isn’t that what the serpent did in his deceit. He sought to use truth deceptively. Think of how he quoted Scripture in Jesus’ wilderness temptation.)

And gossip and slander are most simply a form of maliciousness — an attempt to bring evil upon another.

[And if I inspect — examine my own heart — I’m greatly convicted. Because loved ones, I’m guilty of all of these. O nothing like 15 years ago, when I began to follow Christ. But O how far I still have to go. What about you?]

SINS OF PRIDE

The next four focus particularly on pride. They are haters of God, insolent, haughty, and boastful. These display pride of the most corrupt kind — beginning with their hatred of God.

Followed by insolent or ὑβριστής or our English term, hubris, meaning excessive pride and self-confidence.

Next we have haughty or ὑπερήφανος — which literally means a hyper-showing or shining forth of oneself. This is one who has to be in the spotlight. Hey, notice me! 

And I’m not talking about the child craving daddy’s attention. No this is the person who needs to be the center of attention at the cost of everyone else. Don’t pay attention to them but to me. (O how social media feeds this disordered craving of fallen man.)

The last of this subset is boastful. This is the one who brags he can do or has done many things which he hasn’t or can’t — at least not to the proficiency of which he boasts. 

You see. Each of these sins of pride can only come about when one sets aside God. Because when one acknowledges the immensity of God and that any gifting we have comes from Him, the idea of any sort of boasting just seems absolutely silly.  

But in their pride, they found God unfit and have sought to fill His place. How absurd.

WATER-FALLS

Water actually serves as a beautiful illustration of humility. Waters descend lower and lower and lower. 

Well, I don’t want to be like such a stream. I want to be like the mountain, not the stream that descends to the bottom of it. 

But what happens to that stream when it reaches the bottom? The glorious brilliance of the sun shines on the waters as they gather with the rest of the waters. And that water is exalted high above the mountains in clouds of witnesses to God’s glorious design.

SET ASIDE ALL AUTHORITY

The last two subsets could be presented as they are — partly for a rhetorical flourish — the first two being a pair of noun adjective, noun adjective — and the last four ending with a flourish of assonance — each beginning with the same sound.

That said, we shouldn’t think that rhetoric is the extent of Paul’s purpose. 

We have the setting aside of all authority — no bounds to one’s wickedness. They are inventors of evil and disobedient to parents. The most basic authority structures in life are set aside, so much so that they look for ways to do that which is evil.

Isn’t that what took place in the garden. It wasn’t enough to know good. They wanted to know evil too. Hence, they rejected the authority of the God who fashioned them. 

Inventors of evil. Is there a point beyond which fallen man will not go? Does such exist? Only by God’s gracious restraint society’s not more corrupt. 

But here’s the thing. The judgment is not that God is restraining man’s corruptness but has given man over to their corruptness.

ABSENT

And the final four — no, not basketball. They are foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 

Each of these begin with what’s called an alpha-privative — which, sort of like our prefix “un” means they are not the quality of the root word. For example, one who is unhappy is not happy. 

Likewise, the alpha privative negates or expresses an absence of the root. Rather than understanding, they are absent understanding — or as the ESV translates it, they are foolish. 

The NIV, captures the feel of the Greek words — instead of the same prefix, simply adds the same suffix.
Senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 

Or we could say, they are absent understanding, absent of trust, absent affection, and absent of mercy. 

The theme again is that of emptiness. A rejection of God, leaves one empty of godly qualities.

VERSE 32

Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

THEY KNOW 

Now, Paul began this section, back in verses 18-21 stating how man suppresses the truth about God that is plainly displayed for all humanity to easily comprehend — that everyone knows that God is — and that His very attributes are clearly displayed. And yet, as we come to verse 28, the case Paul has made up to this point is that mankind examined God and found Him unfit.

Well, here Paul wraps up this portion of his case by stating, not only does everyone know God, but they know what God expects from them. They know God’s righteous decrees and found those decrees unfitting.

WITHOUT SPECIAL REVELATION

Paul isn’t referring here to special revelation, as if everyone has a copy of the Ten Commandments. No. Paul is saying that everyone without exception — whether they have been graced with special revelation or not — everyone knows God’s decrees, and they know the judgment for going against those decrees — death. Everyone knows they deserve death for the way they have lived out their lives. They know. 

As we’ll see later in chapter 2, the law of God had been written upon every human heart. Because of the fall and our sin, that law is severely marred, but it’s nonetheless there. 

This is why, everyone is without excuse. It’s not simply that they look at creation and deny God the honor and gratitude He deserves. They know how they are to live as image-bearers and instead have chosen to live contrary to the One whom they were fashioned after. 

HEARTY APPROVAL

And just when you think mankind couldn’t sink any lower, Paul hammers home the extent of our depravity with these words — they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

He uses the same root word that he kicked off verse 28 with. They did not approve of God, they approve of those who are in blatant rebellion against Him.

Because they did not think God was fit to be known, God gave them up to an unfit mind to do that which is unfitting. (But get this.) Not only do they do that which is unfitting, they deem those who do such things as fit. Where they didn’t approve of God, they approve of those who are godless to the core. 

(Same root word)

This is the decline of a society — where disorder and ungodliness is the norm.

O the pride it takes to know God’s righteous decree and the penalty for breaking such and yet proceed anyway. This is the epitome of pride — the very depths of our depravity … almost. But we can go a step lower still. And that is giving hearty approval to those who are in rebellion against God, doing these very things they know ought not to be done.

CHEERFUL ADVOCATES

O you have those who want to put on airs as if they are righteous, so they almost seem not to fall into this list of vices. And yet, these who are too timid to sin so boldly themselves, are the ones who cheer on those who do. 

O the advocates for such corruption, such as murder. I would never kill my own baby. But I support those women who do. I mean it’s their right. Listen, the one who approves and offers support of sin, is no more innocent before God than one who committed the act.

At Pentecost, Peter, addressing the Jews in Jerusalem, does not hesitate to say, “this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now, let me ask, were they the ones who crucified Jesus? Not directly. But they gave their hearty approval to those who did. As such, they were guilty. And they recognized that they were guilty. When they heard this, they were cut to the heart. 

Paul, likewise, recognized his guilt in approving of wrongdoing. Acts 20:20. When the blood of Stephen was being shed, Paul said, I myself stood by approvingly watching over the garments of those who killed him. Paul saw himself as sharing in the guilt of shedding Stephen’s blood. How? In his approval of their sin in shedding it. 

Not only do we commit such sinful acts — we sanction evil and evildoers. 

THE GOAL

The goal of revealing and exposing our human condition with such force, rather than tiptoeing around the issue, is to humble us. 

It’s not simply that we were naïve or deceived. We were not okay, nor those who made or make a few mistakes here and there. We know through and through. Yet we suppress, and blatantly rebel. And unless we come to admit just how horrendous our fallen nature is, we’ll never come to Christ as our Savior. 

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO

O when we think of just how far we have fallen, the depths of our rebellion, I often wonder, just how low our depravity can truly reach. 

You want to know the answer? Not as low as the Son of God condescended to rescue us from it.

A CRY FOR HELP

This second half of Romans 1, cries out for help, cries out for a way out of this downward spiral, cries out for good news. Why? Because the picture doesn’t get any bleaker than this. It’s seemingly hopeless — for those who have made such a grave exchange — which is the entire human race. 

O to be clothed in such unrighteousness — such an unfit mind and unfit lifestyle. 

In Paul’s words from Romans 7, who will deliver us from this body of death?

We need a covering — an atonement.

We need repentance. Romans 1:18-32 is Scripture’s plea for man to repent. These verses display the horrific portrait of mankind without God — as if there were no God. (Of course, things are not even close to as bad as they could be. And that loved ones is sheer grace — the merciful restraint of a loving God.)

STARTING POINT FOR THE GOSPEL

In the midst of this horrific downgrade, there’s actually some good news in this case Paul lays out against all humanity — and that’s the starting point of the gospel.

The fact that everyone knows means you don’t have to convince anyone of something they already know to be true. O they suppress the truth to be sure. But everyone is well aware of their condition and dreadful predicament. 

This means that we can speak about the salvation Jesus offers, knowing that everyone is aware of their guilt before their Creator. This is why we can share the gospel with any and everyone regardless of cultural background. Romans 1:18-32 is the inroads, the common point of connection.

O we won’t persuade anyone with our crafty arguments. It takes something far more powerful — supernatural — than that. It will take nothing less than the Spirit of God to open the eyes of those who are willfully blind. 

Still, it’s good news that we don’t have to search for a starting place to share the gospel. It’s already there. You don’t first have to get to know someone, or their lifestyle, or worldview, or culture. Everyone has this starting point.

TRIUNE COST

Well, because we have a three-fold “God gave them up.” We should probably consider the three-fold Triune remedy for our condition. 

The first week we looked at the Father giving up His Son for us all. 

Last week we looked at the Son giving himself up for us. 

This week let’s close with the Spirit. 

The death of Jesus as recorded in John 19. 

After this, Jesus knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his Spirit.

THREEFOLD SEVERING

When I think of what it cost for God to save us from this horrific exchange we had made…

Ecclesiastes 4:12 speaks of how two are better than one, though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him — a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

O the strength in unity. And we see in the tower of Babel, and in Psalm 2, and at the cross, and here in our passage in Romans 1, and throughout Scripture that all of humanity has arrayed themselves together against God — against the Triune God. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. And yet to save us, that is exactly what had to take place — nothing less than the severing of the inseparable Trinity. (Of course, we’re looking at this through the incarnation. But that doesn’t discount what took place.)

The Father gave up his only Son. The Son gave up himself. And the Son gave up his Spirit.

But not only did Jesus give up His Spirit in order to save us, in order to cover our sin. He gives us His very Spirit, pouring it out on us so that our corrupt hearts and minds might be renewed from the inside out. 

RENEWAL

Because the only cure for an unfit mind is a renewed mind. Romans 12 is a reversal of Romans 1:28.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

While everyone knows, the suppression of true has corrupted that knowledge. We can no longer trust our feelings or our hearts or our unfit minds. They need to be renewed in order to approve that which is approvable and disapprove of that which is unbefitting of image-bearers.

Where we once found God unfit to even acknowledge, with a new Spirit breathed into us, we can now fulfill Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Paul’s prayer, as recorded in Philippians 1:9-10. That your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

So, at the end of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, as Damian read for us:
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Only the work of the Spirit in renewing our unfit minds can overcome his deep-seated depravity found in all of us. And little by little, the Spirit of the Lord does just that. (Exodus 23).

  God Gave Them Up: Dishonorable Passions (Romans 1:26-27)

CAUTIONS

A few cautions as we begin our study of these 2 verses. Paul very clearly, very plainly, very graphically brings up the sin of homosexuality. 

We can be tempted to think that Paul is singling out a minority group as if their sin is more detestable than every other sin — or that it is more detestable than our own.

We may be tempted to think these verses have nothing to do with us because we don’t wrestle with this particular sin. While it’s likely that few in this room, if any, wrestle with this sin in particularly, these verses are very much about you and me. And to fail to recognize this as part of our diagnosis, we will fail to get the healing we need. 

These 2 verses, on the surface, deal directly with that of homosexuality — same-sex relationships. But homosexuality is not the point of these 2 verses. Rather, they serve as a portrait, a parable, a real-life example of the disorder that takes place when mankind exchanges the truth about God for a lie — when people exchange the glory of God for the worship of the creature.

In other words, just like the whole of verses 18-32, Paul’s focus is on this great exchange — mankind exchanging God for infinitely lesser things, and God giving mankind over to that exchange.

Verses 26 and 27 serve as the clearest, physical, visible example that things are not as they should be — that mankind’s entire nature is corrupt — that our passions and affections are gravely disordered and dishonorable — that this Great Exchange is the most shameful of all exchanges — and that shame and all it produces — or rather, what it fails to produce — is the penalty for our wandering, our going astray.

READ: Romans 1:24-32

THREE-FOLD PATTERN

We’re walking through Paul’s argument of the Great Exchange. 

There’s a 3-fold exchange of God, where mankind has exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images (verse 23), exchanged the truth about God for a lie and the worship of God for the worship of the creature (that’s verse 25), and the last exchange is the first half of verse 28, mankind finding God unfit to even have in their knowledge — so the exchange of knowing God to not even wanting God in their knowledge. 

Three times — each time following mankind’s exchange of God — Paul uses the phrase, “God gave them up.” (That’s verses 24, 26, and 28.)

What did God give mankind up to? To the dishonoring of their bodies — to dishonorable passions that go against nature — and to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

God giving mankind over to their sin is a 3-fold act of — as we looked at last week — temporal judgment. In other words, God giving mankind over to their sin, while it is judgment, it isn’t final judgment. We’d do well to remember that as we walk through these couple of verses. 

Because the point of God giving mankind over to their sin is so that sin might be shown to be what it is — sin. That in looking at the chaos and the disorder of our world — especially as concerns humanity — that we would notice that something just isn’t right. And that something that isn’t right is because we have exchanged the central reality, the core reality, the foundational reality of who God is for that of a lie. 

DISHONORABLE PASSIONS FOR THOSE WHO DISHONOR

Note, verse 26, these passions themselves are dishonorable. Back up in verse 21, although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to Him. 

They refused to honor and give thanks to God. So, God gave them over to dishonor. 

It’s important to recognize that God is mankind’s greatest honor. We are fashioned in His likeness. There’s no greater honor than reflecting the God who fashioned us to be His image-bearers. 

Part of the issue with homosexuality, which we’ll see, is that it fails to image God at all. Rather, it’s a perversion of everything God is. 

(Fruitful, creator, outward and others-centered, communion and union, selfless, …)

To serve and worship God was to be our greatest passion. But we exchanged God as our passion, therefore our passions in general are dishonorable — and the most obvious of these is same-sex passions.

CONRARY TO NATURE

These passions are just dishonorable; they are contrary to nature. Their women exchange natural relations with those that are contrary to nature, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women.

There’s an obvious misuse of God’s design — an obvious misuse of the physical. 

While heterosexual sin is still sin, it’s not against nature — it’s not against the physical nature of God’s design. It doesn’t excuse the one. But serves to show the extreme disorder involved in exchanging the foundational reality of who God is.

Where people have exchange God, they exchange that which is natural for what is contrary to nature. The one exchange leads to the other. The exchange of God is first; and that exchange naturally leads to the exchange of all other reality which mirrors mankind’s exchange of God. 

Likewise. Notice. This is both a male and a female problem! Men abandoned, left, laid aside, the natural use of the woman, and instead were inflamed with passion for one another. 

And what does such and exchange produce? It produces shame. That, at least in part, is the due penalty for their error.

WANDERING FROM REALITY

We have wandered and strayed from reality itself. That’s the last word in verse 27 that the ESV renders “error.” It’s the Greek word πλάνος or the verb form πλανάω. It’s where we get our English word planet.

Seems strange that the word planet would come from a word that means wander or stray. But to ancient astronomers, the planets, unlike the fixed stars, wandered. They were “wandering stars.”

The rest of the celestial spheres were doing and moving together. But these stood at as seeming to go against the order of everything else. So, they called them “wandering stars.”

You navigate by the North Star, you have a sure fixed point you can count on. But you navigate by the planets, even if the direction seems somewhat close, you travel any amount of distance, you’re ship will miss its mark. 

WHAT PAUL IS REFERRING TO

First, we have to deal with the tendency among certain groups that claim to be Christians who seek to distort the clear meaning of the text. 

There is an exchange of that which is natural for that which is unnatural. You have those who will advocate that if someone is born with an attraction for the same sex, than their attraction is natural. So, it must be that Paul is referring to heterosexuals involving themselves in homosexual relationships. That’s one distortion of the text.

Another distortion is that Paul is referring to relationships between men and boys. But that’s no where in the text either. 

OUR UNNATURAL NATURE

The argument is that if God made me this way, it certainly can’t be wrong. These desires are natural to my makeup, my chemistry. It’s my nature. Surely God wouldn’t condemn me living according to my nature, would He? 

Well, let’s see. It’s my nature to be impatient, to be selfish, greedy, lie, lust, be lazy, vindictive, envious, idolatrous, … you name it. Surely God must be fine with any of those tendencies. They are all simply apart of my fallen nature. 

Well, then, why did God send Jesus to die on a bloody gruesome cross if He’s perfectly okay with us living according to our fallen nature. 

Listen loved ones, that’s what homosexuality is — it’s living according to one’s fallen nature — but not according to nature — not according to God’s design for nature. It might be a part of one’s nature, but it’s a distorted nature. 

And yes. It is a nature — a distorted nature — that God has given mankind over to.

Our nature — due to the Fall — is corrupt. Our nature is the problem. Because it’s not the nature God intended — it’s not the nature God designed humanity with. 

SOVEREIGNTY

But what about God being sovereign? How is God sovereign over this, if it’s against His will?

God’s will, like ours, is multifaceted. The difference is, our wills are corrupted by sin, while God’s will is not. Our will is limited in knowledge, but God’s will has the whole of eternity in view. 

To try and keep it somewhat simple — there are things I will, I desire, I want. But I’m not equally active in my pursuit or bringing forth those desires. 

We had hamburgers the other night at some friends. The burgers were great, and they were huge. My will was to eat a second one, because of how good it was. But I also knew that my stomach wouldn’t feel so good if I did. So, I allowed — permitted — the burger to sit there for a few minutes until my craving — my appetite — matched my desire not to over eat.

There’s an asymmetry in God giving people over to their sin. Yet, God’s permissive will is no less an act of sovereignty. God knows exactly where giving humanity over to their sins will lead. God knew before the first bite of the fruit of the tree. And yet, God sovereignly allowed Adam and Eve to eat. God knew where giving them over to their sin would lead … It would lead to the cross.

INSANITY

I sometimes wonder if Paul would be shocked by what he’d see in our culture. The whole LGBTQIA+ — I’m not even sure what some of those letters are supposed to stand for — seems, in one sense to be new. But I’m reminded in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. It may be more extreme. It may be that technology allows for a certain type of defacing and deforming of one’s body that wasn’t possible before. But the root issue is not new. Not even close. I don’t think Paul would be all that surprised. 

GRAPHIC

What Paul offers in these two verses is the most graphic portrait of disorder — a disordered nature — disordered desire — disordered affections — disordered behaviors — disordered practices — a disorder that not only leads to death but in its very essence promotes death. 

The sin of homosexuality — in all its forms — is the exact opposite of fruitfulness. 

Rather than a return to the Garden — this is straying further from creation order — which is simply a picture of straying even further from God.

Just as one trying to navigate by the planets — those wandering stars — will take you further and further off course — the further one strays from God’s design, the further one strays from the designer. 

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Hence, the problem with those who distort God’s Word and seek to suggest there’s no problem in these behaviors, affections, and desires.

There absolutely is. And those who suggest otherwise are part of the problem. They are assisting the lost one their trajectory to hell. And that isn’t love! 

Paul’s point is not to single out a minority group — pointing a finger at them — as if they are the worst of the worst. Not even close! 

Rather, this minority group serves as the most graphic parable that something is wrong with ALL of humanity — not simply this group.

The very existence of such unnatural desires and behaviors serves as evidence of God’s wrath — God’s judgment upon sin — handing mankind over to the consequences of idolatry — any and all idolatry — the exchange of God!

In other words, the moral chaos and disordered desires are the visible evidence of God’s wrath — that is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. That’s verse 18. 

WRATH REVEALED, NOT HIDDEN

It’s not that the wrath of God is hidden, and we can’t see it. We simply assume God must be angry, or if we read our Bibles, we discover — wow, God really seems to be angry. Not at all. Verse 18 begins, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. It’s revealed. It’s not hidden.

Well, how is God’s wrath revealed? It’s revealed in the chaos and the disorder. Things aren’t as they ought to be. 

You look around at the chaos and the brokenness — you should recognize God is angry. 

O but people don’t like the idea of an angry God. 

You want to know what’s worse than God expressing His outrage over the world’s sin? I’ll tell you what’s worse. A God who is indifferent towards sin. That’s far worse.

How hypocritical we are as a society. We become outrages when people show a lack of outrage over those things we are outraged over. But when it comes to God’s righteous wrath — we find it unbefitting of God? How ridiculous. 

(O how often we pretend to be more righteous than God.)

You look around at the chaos and the brokenness — you should recognize God’s wrath. And the most obvious chaos and brokenness is seen in same-sex relationships!

God is not indifferent to sin — not homosexual sin, not heterosexual sin, not any sin. And to see that, all you need to do is look at the cross. That’s where God expressed the fullness of His outrage over sin. 

DUE PENALTY OF DEATH

As much as society may seek to normalize disorder — and worse, celebrate it — we all know there is something gravely disordered in same-sex relationships. I use the term gravely deliberately — because they are relationships that lead to death. 

A society of same-sex couples becomes extinct in a single generation. They can produce nothing except death. Everything about the relationship leads to death. They fail to produce any good — any fruitfulness — only death. 

In fact, death is somewhat an antonym of produce. All they produce is the opposite of produce — receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error — literally, they receive the anti-wages fitting for their waywardness. They aren’t even wages. They are the opposite of wages. 

Is Paul referring to AIDS? Or other STDs. While AIDS came much later, many will suggest that the consequences Paul has in mind are physical diseases, such as STDs. While certainly possible, I believe part of what’s missing is the certainty of death of a bloodline, death of a generation. 

(Sort of like the consequence of Jephtha’s vow. His lineage stopped with his daughter — his only child. That was it. A death in which the effects are felt before it even takes place.)

OBVIOUS INCOMPATIBILITY

Of course, there are advocates who claim it’s not fair that same-sex couples can’t produce their own offspring. See just how disordered we are! But it’s just another way of pointing a finger at God — blaming Him for His design. But that’s what we do.

You don’t have to be a homosexual to see the incompatibility of your sin with God’s design. All sin is incompatible with God’s design. The point of homosexuality is that it’s obvious to everyone! And yes, I mean everyone. 

We know plumbing doesn’t work with two male ends or two female ends. 

We know two bulls aren’t going to produce a calf. We know to mares won’t produce a foal. The truth stands right before our eyes, but we deny it. We suppress it.

And Paul’s point is that as obvious as the exchange made in same-sex relationships is a disorder of God’s design — so too the exchange of God. 

ALIGNED WITH GOD’S DESIGN

Being aligned with God’s design is never the wrong place to find oneself. 

Sin may still be present, but it’s never due to aligning oneself with God’s design. 

TALK ABOUT SEX

In one sense, these verses aren’t about sex. But in another sense, they are. The question is: what is sex about. God made us male and female. Why? 

God created us to be compatible for each other. Or to be more specific. God created us for union. That’s the reason why the disorder of homosexuality is the most graphic obvious example — because it most clearly reveals the disorder of what you and I were made for. We were made for union … communion … intimacy with another who is like us … but who is very much unlike us.

SELF-LOVE

You see. Homosexuality reveals mankind’s disordered love of self. It’s a picture of the love of self. 

There is no one who does not love themselves. We tend not to love ourselves well. But that’s not the issue. The issue is we have an excessive love for ourselves, that has taken place of loving the One for whom we were created — and for loving those fashioned in God’s likeness. 

That’s what’s on display with homosexuality — the perverseness of self-love.

That’s also the opposite of what we were created to portray.  Mankind was made in God’s image to portray God. 

But homosexuality is an inward act — it’s self-focused — seeking sameness rather than being others-centered. 

And that’s not at all like our Triune God who is inherently others-focused.
(1 Corinthians 13.)

UNION AND COMMUNION

When God made mankind, He made us male and female. He made us similar — yet different. He made us compatible.

The likenesses are beautiful in that they allow for communion — or we might say — communication — where we can comprehend (to some degree) one another in order to enjoy relationship. 

Yet, how vast the differences that allow us to come together for union — to become one — in such an intimate sense. That’s what marriage represents. 

That’s why a believer can never acknowledge the idea of a homosexual marriage. Because marriage, at its core, is that of union. And two males can’t make a union. Two females can’t make a union. 

YUCK FACTOR

There’s no such thing as a same-sex union. And the attempts to make such a union is disgusting. Even as much as Hollywood attempts to make society think otherwise — the average human mind will always think: yuck. And rightly so. It’s against nature. And trying to fit pieces together that aren’t designed to fit together — is far from beautiful — it’s sickening. 

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

Why do I make a big deal of this? Because God’s design is beautiful. And everything contrary to God’s design is not. And the marriage union is one of the most beautiful physical acts of all of God’s design — if not the most beautiful. 

Why? Because the union, when according to God’s design, points to the most glorious union that mankind is invited to participate in — and that is union with God Himself. 

DESIGNED TO BE DESIRABLE — INTENSELY DESIRABLE

The marriage union is something husbands and wives should take great delight in. And when such union takes place according to God’s design — God Himself delights in husbands and wives enjoying one another. 

This union is meant to be desirable. God intended it to be desirable — intensely desireable. Because it points to something even more desirable. 

This is why sexual sin is so powerful and so tough to break. Sex is meant to be desirable for a purpose. But when it’s disordered, those strong passions are used for ill rather than good — those disordered passions quickly draw their victims further from God rather than longing for Him. 

INCOMPLETE SATISFACTION

Why? Because all sexual satisfaction is incomplete — and deliberately so. Because it’s meant to lead us to a greater consummation than the physical. 

This is why there will be no marriage in heaven. We’ll no longer need the portrait because we’ll know the reality.

We will no longer need the physical to comprehend the spiritual — we will no longer need the union of husband and wives to comprehend the consummation of our union with Christ — Christ in us. O we have a foretaste of Christ in us now. The Spirit indwells us now. But it’s only a foretaste. 

SONG

I had Caleb read from Song of Solomon for us: 1) because I don’t think we have done so in the 3 years I’ve been here. 2) Because the last thing we should get from this passage is that there is something bad about sex. That God has to turn away, and we have to hide from God. 

Remember. Sex is God’s idea. And it’s meant to be beautiful. And the Song of Solomon portrays it exactly as that. 

Now, if you push the metaphors as if they are meant for an artist to draw, you’ll completely miss the picture. 

The entire Song is filled with Garden imagery, and temple imagery, and vignettes of Israel’s history and the promised land. The whole song, we might say, is decorated with Eden. Why? Because that’s where God was to dwell with His people. But this Song points, not so much back towards Eden, as much as it points to Eden fulfilled — Eden transcended. 

And it’s here, saturated with Eden, the Bridegroom and the Bride are anticipating one another and intoxicated with one another. 

LOVELY BUT BLACKENED

Now, at the beginning of this Song (1:5), the Bride is aware she is lovely … but also far from perfect in beauty. (1:5) I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has looked upon me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.

Furthermore, she sees herself as one among many. (2:1). I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

EYES OF LOVE

But her Groom sees her as perfect. O no. Not a mere lily of the valleys. But… a lily among brambles. So is my love among the young women. 

Put her next to all the beautiful virgins, this one, His chosen Bride, is a lily among brambles. She’s perfect. O most beautiful among women.

It’s not that love is at all blind. Love looks with different eyes. This one is the one he wants. She is the Bride he desires to have. 

And she has saved herself for him.

GARDEN LOCKED TO BE UNLOCKED

4:12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed.

This Bride has been kept pure, exclusive, guarded for her Groom. 

But the Garden isn’t to remain locked forever. O the anticipation of consummation. Verse 16. Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits.

From a garden locked, to entering into the garden and sowing seed. The garden is meant to be His — to be her beloved’s. And in sowing the seeds of love, it is to produce fruit. 

But same-sex relationships, they can’t portray that. There’s either no Garden or no Sower. And there can be no fruit — much less the choicest of fruits. 

APPLICATION FOR ALL

Now, time for application — or an application. The point is not for the church to make war on homosexuality. Our goal is not to convert homosexuals and make them heterosexual. 

Homosexuality is the fruit — or rather, the non-fruit — of a greater root disorder. All efforts to address, to change, to correct, to transform the behaviors and practices without addressing the root — 1) brings no glory to the God they continue to reject, and 2) leaves them dead in their sin. 

What needs to be addressed is the same thing that needs to be addressed in every single one of us. That’s why I said, this passage is as much about you, even if you don’t struggle with this particular sin. Because the roots of sin are the same in everybody. 

What are those roots taking in? What are those roots grasping hold of? What are they growing toward? What are they feasting on?

In other words, what is your food? (John 6). Adam and Eve ate, took in, the wrong food, and in doing so, they relinquished the tree of life. That was the exchange. 

John 6 — unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood … 

Unless your rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, your life will be as fruitless as the same-sex couple.  

GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR ME

Last week we looked at how the God who handed over mankind to their sins, handed over His own Son for their sins. 

That’s what the Father did.

But what about the Son?

Galatians 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

HE SEES ME PERFECTLY

In Christ, we are the Bride of the Song of Solomon. Maybe I’ll end by letting her speak on our behalf. 

Despite all of my blackness, my being unlovely in and of myself due to my sin, He chose me and gave Himself up for me. 

There was nothing more lovely in me, that caused Jesus to choose me. He simply loved me because He loved me.

If there be any beauty in me, it’s because he has bestowed it upon me. If there be anything special about me, it is Him — what I am in His eyes — what I am in His taking me into His arms and taking me to Himself. 

All my flaws, it’s not that they aren’t still there at the present moment. And yet, He sees none of them, because He has covered them with His own blood. He has cleansed me and made me pure.

It’s this love …

Why is homosexuality the disorder Paul focuses on in the middle of these three great exchanges? Because they capture more than any other distortion, the perversion of God’s ultimate design for marriage and what marriage ultimately points to — Union with God Himself — Christ and His Bride, the Church. 

Every disordered affection draws us away from the greatest of all loves — the love of God in Christ. 

Amazing love how can it be that thou my God shouldst die for me.

  God Gave Them Up: Judgment in Hope

READ (Romans 1:24-32)

REVIEW:

Before we look directly at these specific verses, it’s important to remind ourselves of what’s come before. In other words, how did we get here, and what’s Paul’s purpose for even bringing it up. 

First: how we got here. Verse 18. In his unrighteousness, mankind has suppressed the truth about God, denying what he plainly knows to be true about God. Why does mankind plainly know? Because God has made it plain to him. God has made the truth plain to every person who has ever walked this planet. But instead of honoring God as God and giving thanks for every blessing we enjoy, instead we sought to be wiser than God, exchanging the glory of the eternal God who is glorious in and of Himself, for the glory of things that perish — a glory that fades — a glory that is infinitely less glorious. And Paul makes clear that God is not indifferent to this exchange of glory, but that God is angry. God is wrathful toward this great exchange.

Second: Paul raises this dreadful predicament that the whole of the human race finds themselves in — not for our condemnation — but for our salvation. Despite this great exchange — despite our committing spiritual and physical suicide in exchanging the Author of life for a copy of a copy of a corrupted copy — there is hope. There shouldn’t be hope. We don’t deserve to have hope. And yet, in His great mercy, God has provided a way to restore us, reconcile us, save us from our own dishonorable suicidal tendencies. And that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

GOD GAVE THEM UP

We see throughout Scripture this idea of “God gave them up.” 

In the wilderness, the people complained about the menu and demanded that they have meat to eat. God gives the people over to what they demanded. Quail filled the camp. And those who craved the quail gorged themselves on that which they worshiped — only to choke on their idolatry. 

They rejected the daily bread of the Lord. They hungered for something else. And it brought death.

Judges 2, as Silas read for us, when the people of Israel chased after the gods of the nations, God gave them over to be plundered by those nations. And if you revere their gods, then you’ll be left for those gods to deliver you. And we all know a false god can deliver absolutely no one. We know it. And yet, mankind still chases after them.

1 Samuel 8, the people demanded a king like the nations, rejecting God as their King. So, what does God do? He gives them over to their desire. 

Let me ask. Were the people better for it? No. Even knowing the consequences of asking for a king — even being warned that the king would take their sons and daughters to serve in his army and to serve in his household, even being warned that the king would take the best of their fields and vineyards and give them to his officers, even being warned that one day the people would cry out because of the king they had chosen for themselves — the people still demanded that they have a king. So, God gave them their hearts desire. 

Asking for a fallible human king to rule over you is a significant downgrade from the King of the Universe! It certainly wasn’t to the nation’s glory. 

Throughout history, human rulers have been an object of worship — often exalted to the status of a god. 

It’s amazing the worship mankind has given to human rulers much like themselves. But worship the God who rules the universe? O that we cannot do! 

In our fallen state, we prefer to worship anything other than God Almighty. 

Fall down before a block of wood (like we looked at last week in Isaiah 44) or fall before a sculpture fashioned of ordinary clay — the very dust of the earth — there’s very little difference — when compared the eternal Living God. 

And yet, that’s what we do! We worship fallen image-bearers — a copy of a copy of a corrupted copy. Call them celebrities or idols — they are nothing but false gods set up in the true God’s place.

The prophets, from Moses to Malachai, all warned about idolatry. Nevertheless, the people wanted to be like the nations and worship like the nations. So, God gave them over to the nations and to their abominable worship. What did they lose? They lost God. They lost the pearl of great price. 

WHO GAVE UP WHO?

I want you to notice something. In each of these, the people first gave up God, before God gave them up. 

They did not simply forget God; they exchanged Him. They gave up God for the worship of other things. They found God unfit (next week) and sought something more preferable. 

HAND OVER

The word means to give someone or something over to someone or something. (The idea is somewhat synonymous with exchange.) You buy something at the store, you hand over the cash that was once yours, and you give it to the clerk. That’s the basic idea of this word. 

Sadly, it’s most often used in a negative sense, such as handing Jesus over to be put to death. 

The people asked Pilate to release Barabbas — an insurrectionist — over the King of the Jews — in exchange for the King Himself. Barabbas is released. And Jesus is handed over to be crucified.

Several times it’s translated as betrayed. When the disciples are named, you read the final name: and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him — handed him over — gave him up. 

Mankind exchange God — therefore God exchanged them. Mankind gave up God. Therefore God gave them over to something infinitely less than Himself.

JUDICIAL HANDING OVER

For God to give the people up — it’s a judicial act. God giving the people over to their desire is an act of judgment. To remind ourselves of verse 18, it’s the wrath of God revealed. 

We look at the world and see the mess the world is in — and the disordered affections of God’s image bearers — and we are to recognize that this is a portrait of God’s judgment. 

We see the dishonorable behaviors — we are to see judgment. Mankind was created for a far more glorious purpose. But we exchanged that purpose — our God-given purpose — for disordered worship. That is part of the judgment.

EXCHANGED THE TRUTH

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.

THE GARDEN AGAIN?

If you haven’t noticed by now, I visit the first three chapters of Genesis often. Many like to dismiss the early chapters of Genesis because it seems to them so unbelievable — the Tower of Babel, the Flood, a talking Serpent, a six-day Creation. But here’s the thing. These opening chapters of Genesis is the context for the rest of — not only Scripture — but all of history. You can’t understand the human condition and the predicament all of mankind finds himself in apart from these opening chapters.

Where did this first exchange of truth take place? It took place in the Garden when the woman believed the Serpent’s word over the Word of God. Hold on to that, because that’s going to matter for the rest of our text. And Adam, in turn, believed the voice of his wife over the voice of God. 

EXCHANGING TRUTH: AN ALTERNATIVE WORD

So, first, in the Garden, they exchanged that which they perfectly knew to be true, and chose to believe something else. Why? Because that something else seemed more desirable. 

God’s clear Word said: The day you eat of this tree you shall surely die — because for you, it is the fruit of death. Well, I don’t like the sound of that. 

So, another comes in and offers an alternative word. You won’t surely die. Rather, eating this fruit will grant you something you don’t have right now. It will make you like God. Well, that word certainly sounds preferable. I’ll chose to believe that one.

That’s what temptation does. It offers you something you don’t currently possess, and it says, this is preferable. And you can have it! Don’t deny yourself.

WITHHELD OR WITHHELD NOT

While the tree in the midst of the Garden was forbidden, it wasn’t withheld. It was left in the midst of the Garden for mankind’s good and glorious use.

How is that?

To refrain from eating was life. So long as they refrained, this tree served as a glorious witness of God’s goodness — that He had given the man and the woman absolutely everything else. It was also a glorious testimony of their honor and gratitude towards God — that He was even more to be valued than His gifts. And it was a testimony of who is God and who isn’t. 

O the tree represented something glorious indeed! And in that sense, the tree was good. It was good for mankind. The fruit wasn’t to be eaten by man. It wasn’t good for that use. But the tree, like everything else God created, was good.

What was not good, was to misuse the tree. To eat from this tree was death. It tarnished, distorted, corrupted everything good they had known. They went from worshiping and serving the Creator — O what a glorious privilege — to worshiping and serving the creature — O how demeaning.

PRESIENTIAL TO ANT HILL

Can you imagine someone in the service of the president — let’s say, secret service. Their job is to defend the president with their lives if necessary. 

And you really don’t like the president, so you type out your resignation letter because you would rather serve and defend an ant hill, or even a worm. 

You exchange the prestige and honor of serving the highest human official of the land to go and serve and defend a worm, and that’s it. You spend your days guarding a worm — defending it, making sure nothing bad happens to it. 

DEGRADING DOWNGRADE

Sounds silly, I know. But what I want you to recognize is just how degrading such an exchange is. 

The exchange that took place in the Garden is infinitely more degrading to God’s image-bearers than that. 

What’s worse, is the disgust you’ve shown to the president doesn’t begin to compare to the infinite disgust you and I have shown to the Creator. How appalling. But listen loved ones, outside of Christ, this is every single one of us. This is our condition.

POLARIZING

I almost decided to change the illustration to some foreign king instead, because our current president is without a doubt the most polarizing president in our nation’s history. 

You have those who love him with unrestrained loyalty regardless of what he says or does. 

And you have those who abhor him with the greatest hatred ever directed towards a human being — again, regardless of anything he says or does. 

CORRECTIVE LENSES

Loved ones. As those who know God in Christ, we should fall into neither of these groups. This is a fallible individual — a fallible image bearer.

Human rulers are but fallible individuals appointed to serve God’s purposes whether they acknowledge Him or not. All earthly rulers either willingly or unwillingly serve the good purposes of the Sovereign Lord of the universe — who works all things together for the good of those who love God! 

But these same human rulers serve as a judgment for all who hate God — regardless of whether they adore or hate the human ruler. The polarization is part of the judgment.

A POLARIZED PORTRAIT

But the polarization of the current president of the United States doesn’t begin to compare to the polarization of mankind toward God. Those who know God in Christ, adore Him. Whatever He says or does is always right; it’s perfect, it’s good.

But those outside of Christ, they aren’t indifferent, though they may like to suggest they are. No. They hate this God with a passion even greater than the hatred they express toward the fallen individual God has currently appointed to the highest office of the land. And that’s not an exaggeration. 

PAUL’S RESPONSE: WORSHIP

And so, seemingly out of nowhere, Paul breaks into doxology. Why? Because this was Paul too. Just the thought of God being dishonored in such an appalling way, Paul breaks into worship. O Lord God, You are deserving of so much more! You are the eternally blessed One. And then he calls on the reader to respond. Amen. That’s the purpose of the amen. The word simply means truly. 

So, when Paul finishes his brief doxology: the Creator, who is blessed forever. He’s expecting you to echo, Truly He is! 

Let me ask. Do you? Now, I’m not one who’s big on the verbal Amen’s throughout a message. But loved ones, I hope your heart, even if silently, echoes Paul’s “amen” every time you’re confronted with such glorious truths about our great God.

JUDICIAL REVIEW

It’s important that we recognize that part of the judgment is God giving man up to his desires. And that what took place in the Garden has taken place in the heart of every single fallen individual. 

On the day you eat you shall surely die. On the day you exchange the truth about me for a lie — on the day you give me up for your lusts — I’m going to give you over to that lust that longs for the fruit you think I’m withholding. 

In other words, part of the judgment is giving us over to our supposed autonomy that seeks to determine good and evil for ourselves. But that autonomy, giving us over to follow our lustful hearts, is worse than any chains of restraint could ever be. 

Our society has more supposed freedoms, more opportunities, more abundance, more time to enjoy it all, than ever. And the depression rate and suicide rate have only skyrocketed. Not only that, how many of those seek to take others with them. It’s heart breaking. 

But that’s what you get when desire is disordered and unrestrained. Because none of those desires that mankind has exchanged God for can ever satisfy. 

The more you have, the emptier you realize all of it is. It’s absolutely depressing. Your desires can’t fill the void.

God giving you up to your desires is the greatest of all judgments — second only to hell itself — which is the fullness of God giving you up. 

For those who desire not to know God, not to commune with Him — He will give them their hearts desire for eternity. But that also means, the absence of all of His goodness. It’s a terrifying picture.

TO DISHONORING THEIR BODIES

So, what did God hand them over to? God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.

Simply put, God gave them up to their desires and allowed those desires to go unchecked — mankind created in God’s image, defiling that image beyond recognition. Rather than these physical creatures knowing the greatest honor ever bestowed upon a creature, they dishonor even their own bodies. 

The judgment is this: those who failed to honor God (verse 21), ultimately end up dishonoring themselves. 

Why? Because of the horrific exchange they have made.

CHILD’S PLAY AND TOY ABUSE

You give a child a gift. Perhaps a rough and tough Tonka truck. But the child begins using the toy truck as a bomb. He takes it to the top of the stairs and tosses it down on the rest of his toys. 

You might warn the child. If you play with it like that, you’re going to break it. But to no avail. The child refuses to listen. 

You may decide: okay. I’m going to let Tommy play with it as he wishes. I’ll give him over to his desire to misuse the toy. And when it breaks, that’ll be the consequence of not listening. That will be the consequence of his misuse. The will be the consequence of him exchanging the truth of what he holds in his hands. A broken toy.

MORE PROFOUND

But is that what Paul’s saying? I actually think Paul is saying something far more profound. And it’s important that we grasp it.

Paul is saying that the handing the child over to the misuse of the toy is the judgment!Regardless of whether the toy breaks or not!

Let’s say, rather than a bomb thrown down from the top of the steps, Tommy exchanged that Tonka truck for his stuffed teddy bear and began cuddling with it at night. That won’t necessarily harm the Tonka truck — not physically. But it’s obviously not what the truck was designed for. 

The act is foolish. It’s shameful. It’s dishonorable. That’s what the text is saying.

The difference is that we’re not 5-year-old Tommy. And we’re not talking about a plastic toy. We’re talking about that which can’t be valued — our very bodies — in which we are to glorify God.

Our bodies were given for one use and one use only — they were given to us for the glory of God. Any other use is misuse. 

Any other use is dishonorable. Because it’s to use your body for something significantly less — indeed, infinitely less — than that which they were designed and given to you for. 

IMPURITY

And those additional uses is where we get the idea of impurity. God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity. 

Impurity. That’s Paul’s word. What does it mean to be impure? It means unclean. 

To cleanse something, you remove the dirt — that which doesn’t belong. 

For something to be clean, it means to have no impurities — nothing which doesn’t belong. Impurity means it has something added to it that does not belong. 

Pure gold is quite valuable. But filled with impurities, its value is quickly diminished. Pure unleavened bread — no additives. The people of Israel were to be a pure race — not to be mixed with the people’s of the land. Not because ethnicity was the issue. But because of the culture and the worship those other nations would bring.

Long for the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word. Not some add-mixture.

JUDGMENT IN HOPE

The judgment is God giving mankind up to impurity and dishonor … not necessarily the consequences that follow — although the consequences abound.

While giving man over to his lustful heart’s desire is an act of judgment, it isn’t final judgment. Romans 11:32, God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. 

You see, God gave up man to this temporal judgment, not for man’s ultimate condemnation — but in hope.

Romans 8:20. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself would be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 

[God gave man over to his heart’s desire which can never satisfy, so that man might know intimately the consequence of sin. Man already knew the judicial consequence — but he didn’t know intimately the pain and emptiness of his sin.]

CLEANSING

God gave mankind over to his sin. But the goal wasn’t to leave mankind forever in such dishonor and uncleanness.

God had a plan for our cleansing. 

John 15:2 — He prunes — literally, he cleans.

All those who belong to Christ are cleaned by Him. He prunes or cleans away all that which is infected and unclean due to sin. Everything impurity — everything that doesn’t belong.

Jesus does that by taking all those impurities upon himself and being pruned — cut-off — in our place.

Jesus will have to enter our uncleanness. That’s, in part, why he was baptized by John in the filthy Jordan River. It wasn’t because Jesus had any sins in which to repent. John himself acknowledge that fact. Rather, Jesus came to wash the people’s sins unto himself. (Symbolic? Yes.) 

THE SECOND GREAT EXCHANGE

The first great exchange was the most horrific appalling exchange ever. Mankind exchanging the glory of God for a copy of a copy of a corrupted copy — Mankind exchanging the truth about God for a lie — Mankind handing over Creator as unworthy of their worship in order to worship the creature instead. 

It’s impossible to exaggerate the magnitude of this exchange. It seems utterly impossible for there to be a greater exchange. There certainly could never be a more horrendous exchange. But thanks be to God, it wasn’t the last great exchange! 

The God who handed mankind over to their sin, will hand over His own Son for their sin. Romans 8:32. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all.

It’s the exact same word as that of God’s judicial judgment that Paul uses 3 times in Romans 1.
Therefore, God gave them up.
For this reason, God gave them up.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up.

The most glorious exchange to cover the most horrific exchange. 

In mankind’s exchange of God, we desired God to be not — we desired God to be dead — we desired God to be … crucified. 

God gave His one and only Son over to our desire — and he was crucified. And on that cross hung the one thing that will restore any of us to the truth about just who God is —
the king we demanded for ourselves … versus the King who bore our crown of thorns

BARABBAS

It’s really the account of Barabbas. We are the insurrectionists set free in exchange for the One who had done nothing wrong. The One who honored and served His Father was handed over to be crucified, while you and I who rebelled are set free.