Bible Passage: Romans 1:18-32
Memory Verse: Romans 1:18
Objectives:
Memory Verse: Romans 1:18
Objectives:
- To understand that rebellion against God is the root cause of all sin
- To be aware of the awful consequences of rebelling against a just God
- To confess any sin you are tolerating and receive God's forgiveness
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Question: What do you consider are the greatest problems facing our country today?
Our society is facing a lot of problems. These problems are destroying all that is good and right. To destroy these problems, we must get to the root cause and destroy it. What is the root cause of all evils? What does God say about the root cause of all evils?
I. HUMAN GUILT (Romans 1:18-32)
In the first verses of Romans 1, Paul told these Christians that he was eager to preach the gospel to all men so they could be saved. Now in these last verses of chapter 1 and on into chapters 2 and 3, Paul goes on to show why men need to be saved, why they need the gospel of Jesus Christ. This begins the first major section of Romans, chapter 1:18 to chapter 3:20, which is concerning God's judgment on sin.
A.Rejection of God's Revelation (1:18-21)
1. God's Wrath on Sin
Question: According to verse 18, how does God look on men's godlessness and wickedness?
The Bible teaches very clearly that God is just and holy. Because this is His character, God is angry with everything that is evil.
God also must punish all sin because He is love. Because He loves those whom He has made, he cannot allow them to be destroyed by evil. Those who say God will not punish men because He is love are confusing love with softheartedness. They think God is like a politician who doesn't want his son to suffer for a crime, so he pays certain authorities to keep the son out of jail.
Those who teach only God's love and rebel against the idea of His judgment on sin do so because they know God would condemn their lives. These are men "who suppress the truth by their wickedness." They prefer to leave the justice of God out of their thinking because they know their own lives are evil.
Notice also that God's wrath is "being revealed from heaven." His judgment is based on His own view of righteousness and sin, not on man's ideas. Only God knows what sin really is and what it deserves.
So Paul begins his discussion of salvation with this description of God's wrath on sin. Salvation would make no sense if there were no judgment on sin. If there were no punishment for sin, there would be no need for God's grace and mercy. If men were not lost because of sin, Jesus Christ would not have needed to come and give His life to bring salvation. We can only appreciate God's salvation as we understand the awfulness of sin and God's terrible wrath upon it.
2. Man's Rejection of God
But someone might object: "Why does God punish men who do not know about Him? Is this faith?"
Question: What is God's answer to this question: "Why does God punish men who do not know about Him? Is this faith?" According to verses 19 and 20, why are all men without excuse as they face the judgment of God on their sin?
God has revealed Himself to all men through the things which He has made. Therefore, no one can say he does not know about God. Every person in the world can look at what God has created—the sun, moon, stars, trees, animals, etc.—and know from these that there is a good Being providing for him. Missionaries going to tribes that are hidden away in jungles report that these pagan people have a name for the Creator of the universe. This shows that they know about God, but they prefer to worship and obey other gods in whom they also believe.
Question: Since all men can see God's power and deity in creation, why don't most people believe and obey Him according to verse 21?
Instead of honoring God and being grateful to Him, men have chosen to reject Him. The spiritual blindness and darkness which they later experience are the result of their choice, not of their ignorance. Therefore, God's wrath is upon men because of their rebellion against Him, not because of their ignorance. They don't know God because they don't want to.
B. Worship of Created Things (1:21-23)
1. Dark and Foolish Minds
Question: According to verses 21 and 22, when men reject what they know of God through Creation, what happens to their minds?
God is light. When men turn away from the light, they go into darkness. God is truth. When men turn away from truth and wisdom, they become foolish.
Yet notice that these men still claim to be wise. These men who turn away from God are often the leaders in a country—leaders in education, in art, in music, in politics. They are the ones who believe that education, or government, or better living conditions are going to solve the problems in our society. They seem so wise. Many listen to them. But God calls them fools because they have turned from Him to find their own human answers.
2. Worship of Images
Question: Men are made to worship something. So when they turn away from God, what do they worship? (1:23, 25)
They turn to love things which are created. Instead of worshiping God, they worship the things He has made.
Discuss: What kind of things do people live for today? What do they honor and love most of all?
Some blindly follow a political leader who promises them a better way of life. Some go after money which they believe can buy them everything they want. Others live for their families which become their idols. Others live for pleasure and the fulfillment of their evil desires.
Men think that by going after these things they can find happiness and peace. But they cannot, because they have turned away from the only One who is the source of all love. They hope to find the answers to life by their own wisdom. But they cannot, because they have turned their backs on the truth.
II. GOD'S JUDGMENT (Romans 1:24-32)
When men rejected Him, God "gave them over" to their sin. This is mentioned three times in verses 24-32.
This means that God purposely delivered them over to sin—to punish them with the bitter results of their rebellion. He withdrew His restraint on their lives because they did not want His interference.
God's action here is like that of parents who have a son who insists on doing evil. The son is irritated with their restraint on his life. Therefore, the parents are forced to let him leave home and go his own way as he desires. Their hope is that as he experiences the bitterness of his evil ways, he will repent and come home and submit to doing what is right.
When God withdraws His restraint on men, terrible results come into their lives.
A. Man's Body Degraded (1:24-27)
Verses 24-27 list some of the sins of the body which enslave those who rebel against God. The very nature of sin is to enslave and then destroy the one who does it (Romans 6:23).
The tragedy is that man's deceitful heart tells him that he can control his desires. He doesn't expect to become a slave to his passion. No one who drinks expects to become a drunkard. Those who occasionally indulge in adultery do not expect it to master them until it breaks up their homes.
But it is a fact that one who continually yields to temptation will gradually commit greater sins until he is a complete slave. And because his heart is deceitful he will call his slavery "freedom." He believes he has what he really wants, even when he begins to suffer in his body the results of his sin.
B. Man's Mind Corrupted (1: 28-32)
Not only does sin destroy the body but it depraves or corrupts the mind. Verses 28-32 list the evil things which men do when their minds are controlled by sin. Notice that these sins are against other men. Rebellion against God in the heart will always result in doing evil to others. If a man doesn't have God's love in his heart, he cannot love his brother. Instead, these evil thoughts will cause him to try to hurt and destroy others.
Notice also the kind of sins God lists together here. If these were being listed by men, they probably would be divided into two groups—those that are very wicked and those that aren't so bad.
Question: Of this list, what do we usually consider to be very evil? What do we sometimes consider to be not so bad?
God doesn't make two lists. He only has one.
Question: According to verse 32, what is God's judgment on those who keep on doing any of these sins?
As we look at these sins, we know that none of them come from love which is from God. All of them bring sorrow and division among people. Therefore, they must be destroyed.
Our society is facing a lot of problems. These problems are destroying all that is good and right. To destroy these problems, we must get to the root cause and destroy it. What is the root cause of all evils? What does God say about the root cause of all evils?
I. HUMAN GUILT (Romans 1:18-32)
In the first verses of Romans 1, Paul told these Christians that he was eager to preach the gospel to all men so they could be saved. Now in these last verses of chapter 1 and on into chapters 2 and 3, Paul goes on to show why men need to be saved, why they need the gospel of Jesus Christ. This begins the first major section of Romans, chapter 1:18 to chapter 3:20, which is concerning God's judgment on sin.
A.Rejection of God's Revelation (1:18-21)
1. God's Wrath on Sin
Question: According to verse 18, how does God look on men's godlessness and wickedness?
The Bible teaches very clearly that God is just and holy. Because this is His character, God is angry with everything that is evil.
God also must punish all sin because He is love. Because He loves those whom He has made, he cannot allow them to be destroyed by evil. Those who say God will not punish men because He is love are confusing love with softheartedness. They think God is like a politician who doesn't want his son to suffer for a crime, so he pays certain authorities to keep the son out of jail.
Those who teach only God's love and rebel against the idea of His judgment on sin do so because they know God would condemn their lives. These are men "who suppress the truth by their wickedness." They prefer to leave the justice of God out of their thinking because they know their own lives are evil.
Notice also that God's wrath is "being revealed from heaven." His judgment is based on His own view of righteousness and sin, not on man's ideas. Only God knows what sin really is and what it deserves.
So Paul begins his discussion of salvation with this description of God's wrath on sin. Salvation would make no sense if there were no judgment on sin. If there were no punishment for sin, there would be no need for God's grace and mercy. If men were not lost because of sin, Jesus Christ would not have needed to come and give His life to bring salvation. We can only appreciate God's salvation as we understand the awfulness of sin and God's terrible wrath upon it.
2. Man's Rejection of God
But someone might object: "Why does God punish men who do not know about Him? Is this faith?"
Question: What is God's answer to this question: "Why does God punish men who do not know about Him? Is this faith?" According to verses 19 and 20, why are all men without excuse as they face the judgment of God on their sin?
God has revealed Himself to all men through the things which He has made. Therefore, no one can say he does not know about God. Every person in the world can look at what God has created—the sun, moon, stars, trees, animals, etc.—and know from these that there is a good Being providing for him. Missionaries going to tribes that are hidden away in jungles report that these pagan people have a name for the Creator of the universe. This shows that they know about God, but they prefer to worship and obey other gods in whom they also believe.
Question: Since all men can see God's power and deity in creation, why don't most people believe and obey Him according to verse 21?
Instead of honoring God and being grateful to Him, men have chosen to reject Him. The spiritual blindness and darkness which they later experience are the result of their choice, not of their ignorance. Therefore, God's wrath is upon men because of their rebellion against Him, not because of their ignorance. They don't know God because they don't want to.
B. Worship of Created Things (1:21-23)
1. Dark and Foolish Minds
Question: According to verses 21 and 22, when men reject what they know of God through Creation, what happens to their minds?
God is light. When men turn away from the light, they go into darkness. God is truth. When men turn away from truth and wisdom, they become foolish.
Yet notice that these men still claim to be wise. These men who turn away from God are often the leaders in a country—leaders in education, in art, in music, in politics. They are the ones who believe that education, or government, or better living conditions are going to solve the problems in our society. They seem so wise. Many listen to them. But God calls them fools because they have turned from Him to find their own human answers.
2. Worship of Images
Question: Men are made to worship something. So when they turn away from God, what do they worship? (1:23, 25)
They turn to love things which are created. Instead of worshiping God, they worship the things He has made.
Discuss: What kind of things do people live for today? What do they honor and love most of all?
Some blindly follow a political leader who promises them a better way of life. Some go after money which they believe can buy them everything they want. Others live for their families which become their idols. Others live for pleasure and the fulfillment of their evil desires.
Men think that by going after these things they can find happiness and peace. But they cannot, because they have turned away from the only One who is the source of all love. They hope to find the answers to life by their own wisdom. But they cannot, because they have turned their backs on the truth.
II. GOD'S JUDGMENT (Romans 1:24-32)
When men rejected Him, God "gave them over" to their sin. This is mentioned three times in verses 24-32.
This means that God purposely delivered them over to sin—to punish them with the bitter results of their rebellion. He withdrew His restraint on their lives because they did not want His interference.
God's action here is like that of parents who have a son who insists on doing evil. The son is irritated with their restraint on his life. Therefore, the parents are forced to let him leave home and go his own way as he desires. Their hope is that as he experiences the bitterness of his evil ways, he will repent and come home and submit to doing what is right.
When God withdraws His restraint on men, terrible results come into their lives.
A. Man's Body Degraded (1:24-27)
Verses 24-27 list some of the sins of the body which enslave those who rebel against God. The very nature of sin is to enslave and then destroy the one who does it (Romans 6:23).
The tragedy is that man's deceitful heart tells him that he can control his desires. He doesn't expect to become a slave to his passion. No one who drinks expects to become a drunkard. Those who occasionally indulge in adultery do not expect it to master them until it breaks up their homes.
But it is a fact that one who continually yields to temptation will gradually commit greater sins until he is a complete slave. And because his heart is deceitful he will call his slavery "freedom." He believes he has what he really wants, even when he begins to suffer in his body the results of his sin.
B. Man's Mind Corrupted (1: 28-32)
Not only does sin destroy the body but it depraves or corrupts the mind. Verses 28-32 list the evil things which men do when their minds are controlled by sin. Notice that these sins are against other men. Rebellion against God in the heart will always result in doing evil to others. If a man doesn't have God's love in his heart, he cannot love his brother. Instead, these evil thoughts will cause him to try to hurt and destroy others.
Notice also the kind of sins God lists together here. If these were being listed by men, they probably would be divided into two groups—those that are very wicked and those that aren't so bad.
Question: Of this list, what do we usually consider to be very evil? What do we sometimes consider to be not so bad?
God doesn't make two lists. He only has one.
Question: According to verse 32, what is God's judgment on those who keep on doing any of these sins?
As we look at these sins, we know that none of them come from love which is from God. All of them bring sorrow and division among people. Therefore, they must be destroyed.
*******
MEDITATION
God has declared that His wrath is on all sin because sin is basically rebellion against Him. Man is under God's judgment because he has chosen to go his own way instead of God's. The result is he destruction of the body and the mind and of all that is good in human relationships.
As the Holy Spirit searches our hearts, let us confess every sin to God so He will cleanse us and remove our sin; so that we will be free from any evil which would enslave us.
God has declared that His wrath is on all sin because sin is basically rebellion against Him. Man is under God's judgment because he has chosen to go his own way instead of God's. The result is he destruction of the body and the mind and of all that is good in human relationships.
- Do we understand better now why all men need to be saved? Do we realize God's salvation is the only hope for our families, our town, our nation?
- Do we understand the terrible bondage which all sin brings?
- Is there any sin which we are tolerating in our lives, thinking that we can control it?
As the Holy Spirit searches our hearts, let us confess every sin to God so He will cleanse us and remove our sin; so that we will be free from any evil which would enslave us.
Source:
Foundations of Faith (Romans 1-7)
PCEP Adult Bible Studies 2
Foundations of Faith (Romans 1-7)
PCEP Adult Bible Studies 2