1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God, 2which he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh, 4who was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all the nations for his name’s sake; 6among whom you are also called to belong to Jesus Christ; 7to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10requesting, if by any means now at last I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you. 11For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end that you may be established; 12that is, that I with you may be encouraged in you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.
13Now I don’t desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (and was hindered so far), that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15So as much as is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome.
16For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek. 17For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. 20For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. 21Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.
22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things. 24Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves; 25who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature. 27Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error. 28Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers, 30backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.
Taste and See That the Lord is Good
060 Romans 1
Taste and See that the Lord is Good
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. 20 For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. 21 Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you with smug superiority that your faith is illogical. Don’t be intimidated. I have a friend who is an atheist who loves telling all around him that to believe in God is like believing in the Easter Bunny. When pressed with the question about how all of this around us came into being, they say, “It just happened. It always was.” Well, there is nothing that we can see, feel, or touch that always “just was”. From all empirical evidence, their viewpoint is totally illogical. Paul makes this argument in the opening chapter of Romans. He states, “because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them." What he is saying is that you and I and anyone else who observes the world around us must conclude that a higher being is at work. The universe is a great masterpiece, and there must be a painter. The world involves a complicated structure; hence, there is a divine architect. This is not faith. This is logic.
When I was a little boy, my father, who was a brilliant medical doctor, would say, “Son, look all around you and you will see God. His fingerprint is in the double-helix DNA molecule. Just look at a leaf and observe photosynthesis. Plants convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into their own food and oxygen, which all animal life breathes to live. That is a miracle. That is God.” When the observant eye sees these things, Paul says, “they are without excuse”. He says that their hearts are dark and they are willfully blind to the obvious. In their heart of hearts, they know that God must exist, yet they never give thanks, and they BECAME VAIN IN THEIR REASONING. This means that they became self-focused in their reasoning.
What is strange about all of this is that those who do not believe consider themselves to be the intellectuals in the room. Yet, they hold fast to the illogical and unreasonable position. Why is this? It is because they are in rebellion against a God in whom they do not believe. They stand firm in denying that a God exists at all. For if He does exist, the question follows: “What are my duties and responsibilities to my Creator?” What a relief it is to realize you are not God and that He is God. There is a peace that comes with that realization. If you are a believer, you know exactly what I am talking about here. If you are not, choose today to follow the logic. It’s the only thing that makes sense out of all of this. This realization will lead to questions, which Paul’s letter to the Romans answers. Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)