Last week’s sermon focused on the introductory material in Romans 1. Actually verses 16 and 17 straddle the introduction and the elaboration of the theme proper: God’s mercy given freely to those under condemnation.
Having mentioned the power of God’s salvation, Paul turns to how much that salvation is needed. This contrast emphasises God’s mercy all the more.
We’ll be looking at the passage in two parts:
1) Humanity’s rejection of God.
a) The truth is suppressed. (verse 18)
b) God makes Himself known. (verse 19 )
c) There is no excuse. (verse 20)
d) The Creator ignored, the creation preferred. (verse 21)
2) God’s giving over of humanity.
a) A lust for impurity. (verses 24-25)
b) Dishonourable passions. (verses 26-27)
c) Debased minds. (verses 28-32)
Some observations.
On any examination of their circumstances, humanity have sufficient reason to recognise a creator. Even those who put forward alternate theories to explain how we have come to be first had to devise a system that eliminated the concept of divine creation from the possible explanations. That philosophy having taken root, evolution is the explanation they have derived for how everything has come to be without recognising a creator.
Prominent among the outworkings of this philosophy is that there is not higher power to whom humans are accountable, so the only restraints are societal norms. (Which loosen over time, because there is no external accountability.)
In a variety of ways, creation; nature; humanity; or even the self are variously held up as the highest authorities that exist.
God is described as giving humanity over, allowing this inclination to express itself in more and more unrestrained ways.
People now submit their lives to serving creation and this planet as their sustainer.
Their passions go beyond those of a created order, or even those of a natural order, and are expressed in a way that serves their own desires.
The Bible is not proving here that homosexuality is sinful. It assumes it. It is also not saying that it is the worst sin. Rather what is being pointed out is that this form of sin reveals something particular about God’s judgment against sin in general. There is no argument that anyone is more or less in need of salvation, in fact the argument is that all are equally in need of salvation.
Christians fall into a false idea that if they restrain themselves from some sort of sin or another all their other failings don’t seem to matter as much. Denominations that have compromised their integrity in the Gospel and moral issues all seem to balk at homosexual issues, as if not crossing that line makes any difference. Bible believing folk seem to make this issue the issue over which they stay or leave a church.
As Carl Truman pointed out compromise on homosexuality is not a sign that something is now wrong with a church, it is a sign that something went wrong some time ago. It is a judgement, an outworking of humanity’s rebellion.
Self-centredness and a rejection of God’s authority show themselves in all of the behaviours listed in verses 29-31.
If we don’t actually commit them, the next most damaging thing is to believe they are of little consequence. Really they are signs from God pointing to the judgement under which we all sit.
These sins are far more prevalent in most churches and I would prefer that Christians spent more time recognising that the presence of these failings in ourselves points us to the conclusion that we all need the saving power of God, and less time pointing out how the presence of these failings in others is an evidence of their condemnation.
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