Since we will begin a new Sunday School series on Romans 8 next week after church, I thought that it might be good to supplement that with a sermon series on the whole book of Romans.
Though Romans 8 is considered by many as the most important chapter in the Bible, the Book of Romans is considered the most important book of the Bible. So why not delve into the whole thing with a special deep dive into Chapter 8?
We’ll begin with Romans 1, verse 18, and then go straight from there and finish with Romans 2, verse 4.
Let me tell you a little bit about the Book of Romans. It was written by the Apostle Paul about 55 or 56 A.D., to, as you know, the Christians who lived in Rome.
Norman Geisler said that the Book of Romans is considered the greatest work of Christian beliefs in the New Testament and is the most lengthy and complete explanation of the gospel anywhere in scripture. As such, he said that “it is of utmost importance that every Christian understands the message of the Book of Romans.”
Scripture: So, let’s look at how the apostle Paul begins telling the Roman Churches about the gospel, starting with verse 18.
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Chapter 2
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Wow, what a way to start your sermon, right? As you can see, Paul pulls no punches. He begins explaining the wrath of God. And in case you’re wondering, we did start with verse 18, but the previous verses are just introductions. He’s not preaching prior to that. He’s just introducing himself and greeting the Roman church in a rather lengthy, formal sort of way. And you could say that verse 16 may actually be the start of his sermon. If not, it’s the segue. There, he says, “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.””
So, he goes from righteousness to wrath pretty quickly. Romans is a book that is not only the gospel in a nutshell, but is tricky because it talks about things that are not politically correct. In fact, we read in verses 26 and 27 some things that are very politically incorrect, and yes, I am going to address that in a minute. But he ends on a more positive note, stating that God’s kindness is intended to lead us to repentance.
We need to take Paul’s words in context. We have to establish that there is such a thing as sin, that we are all infected by it, and that God does not take sin lightly. We take sin lightly because sin is our nature. God, who is perfectly holy, sees sin differently. But there is hope. God’s love leads us sinners toward repentance.
Before I get too much further, I do want to tackle the problem verse about homosexuality. You know, there was a time not too long ago when someone might come across these verses and think, “I can’t even imagine how disgusting ancient Roman civilization had to have been.”
Four decades later, look at us. Today’s generation proudly parades such lifestyles, we have a month dedicated to it, and, as Alisa Childers recently posted on her social media, “The current message that drives much of today’s cultural discourse says, “Christians aren’t just wrong–they’re power-hungry oppressors.”
Today’s society might read these same verses and think, “I can’t even imagine how today’s evangelical Christians can be so intolerant.”
We’ve reached that point in society where, like I’ve said many, many times, we’ve eroded little by little like the gorge here in Watkins Glen. So small over such a period of time, we don’t even see it until there’s this big gap that’s formed from erosion. And our culture has decided, intentionally, to disregard the Bible and do its own thing. The only repentance we need, is to not be intolerant and judgmental.
There are people from the pulpit who say that these verses in the original Greek don’t mean what has been translated into English. Now, I know that sometimes it’s tough translating ancient languages into English. And there are a few verses that might not have been translated in its full meaning because things get lost in translation. If you were to Google, “Does the Book of Romans Actually Say Homosexuality is a Sin?” you will get all kinds of websites that argue that the Bible does not say that homosexuality is a sin and reinterpret passages such as this. Just like in Genesis, where the serpent asked Adam and Eve, “Did God really say…?”
But here’s what Focus on the Family says about this argument, “In sum, gay revisionist theology threatens to substantially alter the Christian church and biblical doctrine. When God is said to sanction what He plainly forbids, then a serious heresy is unfolding before us in bold fashion. Confronting this false doctrine lovingly – but firmly – is necessary because it demands that we confirm professing Christians in their sin, when we are biblically commanded to do just the opposite.”
I’ve mentioned Mike Winger a lot in my sermons, and he tackled this subject on his YouTube channel. He did a great job of explaining it.
I find it interesting that revisionist gay theology came about after homosexuality became accepted in secular culture. We know that the Bible and secular culture are not necessarily one and the same, but over the vast majority of Western culture, the Bible has been the basis of its morality. So wouldn’t well-known, well-educated theologians have discovered this misinterpretation long ago? I mean, people get paid to study the Bible. People get paid to spend their time and energy studying scripture and original languages. Look at how many English translations we have of the Bible, let alone the myriad of other translations of the Bible we have.
When we went to South Carolina a few years ago, I was surprised to find a Bible translated by The American Bible Association in the Gula language. The Gula language is a West African-based language that has some English influences, and so you could call it Creole, but it was a language spoken by slaves who lived in that area. And there are blacks in the South to this day who are part of the Gula culture, and they have a Bible translated in their language. It’s English, but if you’ve ever seen movies depicting slaves, you know they had a certain way of speaking, and there’s a Bible translation to this day for that language.
That’s just one example. Most translations come from preserved ancient Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.
So I want to say to you that the Bible is very carefully translated with great respect by those who have made it their livelihood and ministry. The fact that homosexuality is considered a sin in several scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments is something that scholars have read and interpreted very carefully, many times over, and have come to the cohesive conclusion to interpret this particular passage in this particular way. It’s our responsibility to come to terms with the fact that it is there, as much as we’ll be hated for it.
People say we hate homosexuals, but we don’t. We just acknowledge that God has revealed himself and his nature in scripture. He has established his righteousness in scripture. Like the saying, “It is what it is.” I think we’re the ones who are hated because we won’t conform to the pressure of society, and that’s been the history of Christianity since its foundation.
But you’ll notice that Paul leads into that subject. He doesn’t just come right out with it out of nowhere. He’s not saying this to be discriminatory, but he speaks of sexual immorality in a general sense. And, he’s speaking in the past tense. He’s using Old Testament scripture to explain the history of mankind and its relationship to a holy God.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
I’ve heard it said that sexual sin is degrading to women. It may be so, but quite often, men get trapped in lust or pornography because, to men, it’s just the opposite–it’s an idol. Remember last week, I talked about idle idols? It’s both degrading and an idol. Men worship the creation rather than the creator.
And there are some women out there that, I would have to assume, like to be the idol. That’s how the idol gets in front of men, right? There’s got to be a woman who realizes she’s the idol and likes having that goddess kind of attention. And if we choose to give ourselves over to that, whether we’re the male or female, God will let us. He lets us be given over to a depraved mind and any other sin we decide we would rather follow. As I spoke about last week, anything that is in our hearts and minds that we place above God is an idol.
And here is a list of some of those idols and sins that Paul puts together:
They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Sound familiar? We’re seeing our culture being swept away by its own undoing. Paul was speaking to the church in Rome, and it’s been said that the Roman Empire–the greatest empire known to man in the history of the world at that time–fell because of its own depravity. And here we are. History is repeating itself. We are deliberately rebelling against God. We’re seeing slanderers–just watch the news pundits and stand-up comedians. God-haters? Yeah, that’s becoming more of a thing. I spoke about having seen Cliffe Knechtle at Cornell last week, and though he was very well respected, if you watch some of his Youtube videos and videos of other apologists like him on college campuses, you’ll see that God is not well-liked.
One of those apologists, named Frank Turek, has posed this question to atheists: If it were undeniably true that God existed, would you follow him? More often than not, the answer is no. Why? Because people would rather deliberately rebel against God and do whatever they want.
In verse 32, we read, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
I’m sure you’re familiar with one or two or a dozen secular bands who have no shame in singing about any and every kind of sin. These artists have huge followings, and some are considered highly respected, legendary, historic, fill in the blank. How can huge crowds of people go along with this?
Because to them, it is harmless fun. It’s nothing. Even though they know not to play with fire, their consciences change. Like I said, a little bit of erosion, and decades later, look where we are now. I’m not saying that all secular music is bad, but we need to be careful and let the Holy Spirit lead us into all truth.
Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, as the old saying goes, “But for the grace of God, there go I.” We, who still have this sinful nature, can fall into this trap of cultural rebellion too if we’re not careful. Many Christians have already done so through Progressive Christianity and the other traps pervading Christianity that I’ve spoken about many times.
We all have to keep our own sinful nature in check. I realize this sounds odd, but keep your spiritual blinders on. This is a narrow road. Don’t get distracted by the wide road that everyone else is on. People say Christianity is narrow-minded. Guess what? It is.
Jesus said, 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
In 1994, Phil Keaggy wrote a song called, “It Could Have Been Me.” And it was a song about the fall of Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker. He was one of the top Contemporary Christian Music performers at that time, so he was pretty high profile. And he was the only one I know of who said, “It could have been me.” But for the grace of God, go I. There have been some Christian artists who have fallen for one reason or another; I’ve seen it happen to pastors. What hope do we have if even men and women of God fall?
Paul begins Chapter 2 with, “2 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”
We’re doomed, aren’t we? What are we even doing here in church? Why even try? Again, because of our own sinful nature. We need to know what is and isn’t a sin. We need to know what God’s righteous decrees are. Why? So that we may be brought to repentance.
Verse 4: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience are intended to lead us to repentance. In other words, remorse or regret leads us to a change of mind, which then leads us to a change of action or lifestyle. It is our loving father parenting us.
Peter said, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” That’s another misunderstood verse. That’s another one where more liberal Christians say, “See, God doesn’t want anyone to perish, so everyone will be saved.” But that’s not what Peter said. Peter said, God doesn’t want anyone to perish, so in his compassion and mercy, he is giving people time to repent.
There is a famous heretical author who asks the question, does God get what he wants? To this author, the answer is yes, therefore, no one will perish. Love wins.
In fact, that’s the name of the book, Love Wins. But the author apparently forgot to read the whole sentence. God does not want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. See, it’s a choice. Coming to repentance is a choice we must make. And it is, as I spoke about last week, a form of worship whereby we die daily to ourselves, not live as we please and say, it’s holy in the eyes of the Lord.
I shared this verse on Facebook not too long ago, and I prefaced it by saying that it is so simple yet so profound. May we never take it for granted. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
If we read a couple of verses down from our scripture this morning, Chapter 2:6-7 says,
6 God will repay each person according to what they have done. 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life.
Now, this isn’t to say that we can earn our salvation, as we will see in later chapters. But it means that those who repent, those who recognize the sins that they have committed, who have a sense of remorse, who turn away from their sins and walk in the righteousness of Christ will be saved.
I’ve been here long enough to know the hearts of this congregation. I know that you are here because you love God. Anyone who goes to a Bible-believing church in this day and age is committed. It’s pretty unusual for people to go to church because it’s the thing to do anymore. At one time, some thought it meant you proved to the community that you were a good, decent, and upstanding person and it’s a solid foundation to teach your children.
Today, we go because we want to grow closer to Christ. We want to be in His presence and have a right relationship with Him. And that right relationship means a continuing process of assessing where we are in that relationship. A relationship is meant to grow.
How is your relationship with God? Has it grown? Has it matured? Or has it been the same place it’s always been? Are you closer to God than you were two or three years ago? Have you had to make adjustments in your relationship with God? Or are you making excuses because you really like that sin, and you haven’t wanted to give it up?
What is God calling you to repent from today? What is it he needs to prune from you right here and right now? We don’t have an altar in this church, but our hearts do.
Let’s pray: Lord, we come before you today, thanking you for the love you have for us. The love that you demonstrated for us on the cross. We thank you for your kindness and patience that first drew us to you, and still draws us today to a greater relationship. As the psalmist said, we ask that You would search our hearts and see if there is any wicked way within us. And lead us to the way everlasting.
I pray that you would kindly and gently convict us of areas that need attention. We invite your Holy Spirit to lead us, to draw us, and to prune us of those things which we need to repent of, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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