Today, May 29, marks
the first of three catch-up days. I love
catch-up days. Life is so busy. Having no reading on these days allows us to
catch our breath and maybe make up some readings without getting further
behind. The title of my post is not a typo. Yes, I know that Romans was our reading from early May. Although I am caught up with my reading (whew!), I will publish these in order for the benefit of those who are at least a little behind. If you are really behind, I can't help you. I will post devotional material
on several of the biblical books we’ve read recently: Romans, Ephesians, 1
Samuel, and 2 Samuel. Are you still in Romans from earlier this month? Maybe you're thinking, "I wish I were as far as Romans!" Well, maybe in the next few days you can get there. Here is the first
of three posts on Romans:
Guilt
We gain a
clear picture of what is wrong with the world in verse 1:18. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness
suppress the truth.” I consider the
truth that God is Lord over all. That he
has created the stars and planets (Psalm 33), that he spoke all creation into
being (Genesis 1:1-13). All of these, and
more, are truths about God. They are as
plain as day. But they are not
acknowledged as true. Their truth is
‘suppressed.’ Just considering it should
make us weep. How could the love, righteousness,
and might of such a God be ‘suppressed?’
How could we miss it and cause others to miss it as well? The answer cuts us all to the heart. The wickedness of the ungodly suppresses it.
It is
certainly true that God alone is worthy to be worshiped. This is the truth that humans exchanged when
we fell from our original purity and innocence with God. We “exchanged the truth about God for a lie
and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
forever!” (1:25)
It is a truth
that we have cast aside, like it was nothing.
When Paul talks about truth, this is what he means: God alone is Lord of
all. He created all things. He alone is worthy to be glorified and
worshiped. But this is what does not
happen. God is not enthroned in human
hearts. He is not enthroned in their
lives. He is not enthroned in their
relationships or families. We shouldn’t
be surprised then, that he is not enthroned in our nations.
It is
suppressed. It is hidden by all the
false gods which have taken the Lord’s place in our lives.
Have you
ever gone through a bad break-up? We call it being "dumped". It is hard
enough to deal with. But what makes a
bad break-up even worse is when that person has traded you in for someone far
worse. It is extra hurtful because it
doesn’t only hurt us now. We hurt for
the other person who has made this bad decision.
We have
dumped God. And we traded the most
beautiful, joyful, creative being in the universe for a lie.
Now, you've probably heard someone say, "Excuse me?" Well, with sinful humans it isn't even a question. We direct it at God like a command: "Excuse me!" We all love excuses. We love to avoid blame. Paul makes the case that Gentiles and Jews alike are without excuse.
Gentiles are
without excuse. Gentiles may not have
had God’s law. But God’s power and
nature are seen in what he has made, so they have no excuse. (1:20). So Paul can say, “All who have sinned apart
from the law will also perish apart from the law…” (2:12).
Do religious
people have an advantage here? After
all, who has known the beauty, faithfulness, and holiness of God better than
his people, the Jews? Don’t they get a
leg-up on the rest of humanity by being the chosen people? Paul says no.
Jews also are without excuse.
They have God’s law. But do they
obey? The Old Testament testifies that
they don’t. What then? Can the law save them? Absolutely not! Paul says, “All who have sinned under the law
will be judged by the law.” (2:12)
Religious hypocrites who say they know God but don’t obey him suppress
the truth about him just as much as those who don’t know him at all.
Paul closes
his account in chapter 3 by maintaining that Jew and Gentile alike are “under
the power of sin.” We are imprisoned
under God’s judgment and wrath.
I know this
is hard to hear. It feels like you’ve
been knocked down a peg, that you’ve fallen down a flight of self-esteem
stairs. But the step down in this case
is really a step up. You will not be
able to hear the good news unless you hear it from down there. When we think we’re doing ok, we are still
living a lie. Why isn’t the truth of God
seen in the world? Because of us. It is
because our words and our lives don’t testify that God is Lord. Our words and our lives, then, are one big
lie. If this truth hits home for you,
know this: even when our sin is clear to us, it is always clearer to God. God knows more than you can imagine. But remember this too. If God says in his Word that he will be
gracious, we can trust that it will be enough.
It is true that if we assess ourselves by God’s standard, we find
“nothing to lift our heart to self-confidence.” (John Calvin). But salvation does not come from us. It comes from God. “I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where
will my help come? My help comes from
the Lord.” (Psalm 121:1-2) We can’t
count on ourselves. If we cling to God’s
grace, we’ll find that it is enough. In
the next post, we will move on in our Romans road to the next chapter, the
chapter of grace.
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