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ROMANS CHAPTER 1 KJV WEB Rom 1-1,2 (14g) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers are set apart from the world Rom 1-1 (12j) Servant >> Bond servant >> Salutations – Paul was a bondservant and was called to be separate from the world and even separate from other Christians for the sake of the gospel. We are all called to be separate from the world in order to fulfill our calling from God, but a bondservant is a little different. The Spirit compels us, but we are willingly compelled, whereas a bondservant is in bondage to his compulsion. When we think of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), these patients suffer from a disease that makes them feel the need to continuously perform a routine that is usually not designed to accomplish anything important, being why it is a disease. If OCD patients could harness their need to perform a routine and direct it at repeating something meaningful for which he might get paid, it wouldn’t matter anymore that he had a mental disorder, since he is using it to do something useful and support himself. Paul and all bondservants are like OCD patients, only to them it is not a disease, but something they received from God, a compulsion that goes beyond reason and beyond their will to control it. 1Cor 9-16 says, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” Paul was like the heroine junkie who is not in control of his addiction, hence, the definition of a bondservant: someone who is addicted to the will of God. The junkie robs houses and strong-arms people on the streets in desperation for his next fix. The bondservant is similar, only he is not out to hurt anybody. They locked up Paul, and God transformed his ministry from an evangelist to writing letters to churches, which became the epistles of the New Testament that we read today. His writing of the epistles was possibly more important than his former ministry of evangelism, in that throughout the centuries millions of people have gotten saved throughout the centuries reading his epistles, compared to the thousands he led to Christ as an evangelist. No one can incarcerate a bondservant’s ministry; take away his ability to serve the Lord and God will find him another ministry. (91k) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> Titles of His calling >> His calling makes you a distinct member of the body (191e) Set Apart (Key verse) (191h) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >> God sanctifies us through His calling Rom 1-2 (133d) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> God is holy >> The word of God is holy (151e) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> New Testament bears witness of the Old >> The Patriarchs >> The Old Testament prophets – God never does anything without first revealing it to His servants the prophets (Amos 3-7). This means that if a supposed worldwide movement of God suddenly started, though it was never revealed beforehand through the prophets who lived in generations past, we can know for certain that this is not a move of God. Case in point, the Mormons have produced a manuscript they claim is from God, yet nowhere in the Old or New Testaments do we read the prophets preparing us to believe the contents of the Mormon Bible. If their manuscript were actually from God, He would have had His prophets write about it thousands of years in advance that further revelation was coming, but the Scriptures are silent about any aspect of the Mormon teachings. Therefore, we have no obligation to seriously consider the Mormon Bible or any other manuscript that man may present to us claiming to be from God. When we think of Jesus coming as a baby, born of the Virgin Mary, raised into manhood to assume His ministry, all these things were written in the Old Testament. There is a clear and concise record depicting all the events that happened to Jesus and His parents. See also: Cults (Mormons); 1Cor 3,8-17; 139g Rom 1-3 (37e) Judgment >> Jesus’ humanity >> He was part of the lineage of David – This is actually a confusing statement, “[Jesus was] born a descendant of David according to the flesh.” The only way this could possibly be true is if Mary was a descendant of David, which she certainly was not; she was a descendant of Aaron, making her a Levite of priestly descent. According to Jewish custom, the bloodline did not pass through the mother but through the father, so even if she were a descendant of David, it wouldn’t have counted. However, Joseph, the husband of Mary, was a descendant of David; he was the legal father of Jesus, but His literal Father was God. Nevertheless, Paul meant what he said; Christ intends to establish the throne of David at the end of this age. This means that Jesus’ throne resembles David’s throne more than any other king of Israel, in that they both will sit on their respective thrones only after they have subdued their enemies. Jesus will enter His Millennial reign after the Great Tribulation involving the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls of God’s fierce wrath. Once He finishes judging the nations, He will set foot on the Mount of Olives and establish his 1000-year reign of peace. There will be a lot of killing and death before this, just like it was with David. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1-4,5 (34h) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> The blessed First Resurrection (86a) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Treating the knowledge of God as fact >> Believe the word by obeying it Rom 1-4 (39a) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Resurrection of Jesus Christ – Peter declared Jesus the Son of God before His resurrection (Mat 16-16), and the majority of the disciples were behind him, though some were doubtful (Mat 28-17), which is mind-boggling when we think of all the miracles he performed. Jesus was a man; His body was made of the same substance of all men, but He had a soul, who was literally the Holy Spirit, and that is what made Him different from anyone else. Our soul defines us as a unique person, even as Jesus’ soul defined Him as the unique person of God. He performed many miracles: He healed thousands of people; He walked on water, and He even raised some from the dead. All these things were amazing to those who witnessed Him, but He wasn’t formerly declared the Son of God until He rose from the dead. It is one thing for Jesus to raise certain people from the dead, but it is another thing for the Father to raise His Son from the dead, because it positively identified Jesus Christ the Son of God as distinct from the Father and subject to His ability to deliver Him from death (Rom 6-4; Gal 1-1). Had the Father not raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus would have had neither power nor authority to raise Himself, meaning that His resurrection was a judgment from God. The Father found Him worthy to return from the dead, the First Resurrection being a judgment from God of all those who participate in it, for God will count them worthy of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. This makes the second resurrection equally a judgment of God among those who participate in it as worthy of eternal damnation. (114i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Jesus does God’s work >> All His works are what the Father does (133c) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> God is holy >> The Holy Spirit (150e) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Confessing Jesus >> Making the good confession – Prior to the resurrection it was questionable whether Jesus was the Son of God, and then His resurrection furnished proof. Jesus didn’t go around telling everybody that He was the Son of God but preferred the title son of man, reserving the Good Confession for His mock trial, which He spoke to His enemies. He didn’t want His disciples telling everybody about His true identity, since it would have gotten Him killed before the time. Instead, only His closest friends knew about Him, until He rose from the dead and ascended to His Father. Then He wanted His true identity proclaimed upon the housetops. (253e) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the internal qualities of the Father >> Jesus is the Son of God >> Declared the Son of God by angels and believers Rom 1,5-7 (210k) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> Fellow heirs with Israel (Spiritual Jew) >> Ministry to the Gentiles -- These verses go with verses 13-16 Rom 1-5 (6f) Responsibility >> Being spiritual >> Ministering to God >> Obey His word (88a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith produces works >> Relationship between faith and works >> Works establish your faith -- The entire book of Romans is sandwiched between this statement "Obedience of faith" (also in Rom 16-26), suggesting that it is the theme of Romans. Everything in-between acts as supporting details of this very important topic. Paul throughout the book of Romans divulged God's plan of redemption one layer at a time, each being a foundation for the next. God's objective for His people has always been to conform their behavior to the likeness of His Son, even in the Old Testament through the law, but now God has given us a new and better way to accomplish His will through the Spirit. (115j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through obedience of faith >> Through determination >> Determined to obey Christ – What is our purpose after we are saved? This is a big question to many Christians, and it often goes unanswered. The only way we will find God’s purpose is to listen to the Holy Spirit and do what He says. Sometimes the Spirit speaks to us about His word, and in that He reveals Himself to us, and by that He divulges His calling, suggesting it is a two-step process. We must know Him before we can do His will. God’s intension for us is not so much to do something as to be something. The revelation of Jesus Christ changes us to become the person that God had in mind for us from the beginning, who can fulfill His calling, not we in the flesh who understands nothing about Him. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1-6,7 (33m) Gift of God >> Believers are special to God >> We are beloved of God – “The beloved of God” does not include everybody. People tell us that God loves everybody, and He does. Jesus said in Jn 3-16, “For God so loved the world….” However, God’s love is based on a vision in hope that we will believe in His Son for eternal life, and if we die without Christ, the Father's love will die with us. Hence, there is a difference between God’s love for the world and His beloved, just like we care for strangers versus our immediate family members. Compare Jn 3-16 with Jn 17-9, "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me." The Father loves the whole world, but Jesus prays only for His own, the beloved. If anybody is in trouble or in need we will come to their aid, and in that sense we love them, but we love our family members in a different way; they are special to us; we grew up with them, and we share a past. When we say that God loves the world enough to send His Son to die for them, how much more does he love the beloved who have accepted His love, His blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin and received the Holy Spirit into their hearts, crying "Abba Father" (Rom 8-15)? It will take an eternity to fully realize how God loves the beloved, those who are in His true family. Rom 1-6 (91l) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> Titles of His calling >> Called as saints – Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Mat 22-14), meaning not everyone is called, and of the called, only few are chosen; yet Paul is referring to the church in Rome as “the called.” Other passages speak of the Church as being chosen, so the called and the chosen are referring to the same people, though they mean different things. We are called to inherit the eternal Kingdom of God, but how does our calling pertain to this life? God calls us with a special calling according to Eph 2-10, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” We are called to walk on a narrow way, where one good work leads to another so we can look behind us and see where we’ve been, though we cannot look ahead to see where we're going, because God reveals the next step while we are taking it. There are many forks in the road, and both ways seem good to us, and often we don’t know which way to go, but if we are committed to doing His will, the place where we plant our foot will be on the place that God had intended for us. We can be assured we are walking on the trail of good works based on a good conscience and a sincere faith, for God will not allow our foot to misstep if our desire is to walk with Him. Rom 1-8,9 (149f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Preaching the gospel to the world >> Preach "Thy kingdom come" – There is an old saying, “All roads lead to Rome.” It is equally true that all roads lead away from Rome. People came to Rome and learned about Jesus and went home telling everybody what they learned about the grace of God. This was the reason Paul and some of the other apostles wanted to reach Rome with the gospel, because they knew that if Christianity multiplied in the capital city of the world, the place where all nations came and went, the word of God would spread to all nations through them to the remotest parts of the earth. Rome was like an airport terminal where people are constantly coming and going. They say airport terminals are the scariest places in the world for viruses, because a person can come into an airport with a highly contagious and deadly disease and spread it to the four corners of the globe, where infected people will continue spreading the disease. The apostles were thinking the same way about the gospel in Rome; if they could reach Rome, they could reach the world. In the same way, people came from all parts to worship God in Jerusalem at certain times of the year, including Pentecost, when Peter preached to an eclectic group representing many nations. See also: Rome; Rom 1-8; 172e Rom 1-8 (82i) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> Thankfulness >> Giving thanks for His blessings (115a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Working God’s grace through Christ >> Worship God through Christ (172e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the wheat >> Communion between the world and the Church >> The Church in the world – There was a negative side to reaching Rome with the gospel: Rome itself was Christianized. The city worked better as a conduit for the gospel than as a source. That is, it never was the intent of the apostles to beseech the government of Rome to form the Catholic Church or for any nation to become Christianized, but that their governments should be sympathetic and let Christianity flourish without hindrance. The Lord’s intent for His people has always been to "Come out from their midst and be separate [from the world]" (2cor 6-17,18), not that the world should make Christianity an entity of the state, yet this happened in Rome, starting with Constantine, who made Christianity the official religion of Rome around 300 AD. As a result, Rome integrated all its paganistic ways into the gospel and gave it a new name—Catholicism. This doesn’t mean that governors, congressmen, senators and presidents should not be Christians, but that they should honor the separation between church and state, for neither of them benefit by coming together. The Church has achieved acceptance by the state throughout all the developed nations of the world. This resulted in protecting the Church from persecution, which sounds like a good thing, but it makes people appear to be Christians when they're not. When Church and state assimilate, it becomes difficult for people to see the need for God's transformative power in their lives. Many people think they’re Christians because they live in a Christian nation and merely go to church and affirm certain doctrines. See also: Rome; Rom 1-8,9; 149f / Catholicism (Constantine); 1The 1,2-8; 149h KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1,9-13 (100j) Thy kingdom come >> Devotion >> In your ministry to God >> Fulfill God’s calling in your life – Paul was estranged from the Church in Rome, and while he was waiting to see his fellow believers again, he spent his time and energy ministering to God by writing them a letter and praying for them; and so while we are waiting for our ministry to mature, we too should spend our time and energy ministering to God as students of His word and disciples of prayer. Paul coined the phrase, ‘serving God in my spirit,’ as the only instance in the Bible it was used, yet our spirit is primarily where we serve God. Many try to serve Him by keeping their hands busy doing what they think is the will of God, yet unbelievers do many of the same things, but what they can’t do is serve God in their spirit; so if we want to distinguish ourselves from the heathen, we should become worshippers of God. Through a healthy gift of discernment we can know who serves God in their heart and who doesn’t, for this is the very core of our relationship with Christ. Our external and internal services combined is the summation of our faith. For example, the old covenant Levitical priesthood was a two-fold ministry: ministering to God and ministering to people. Their main ministry toward people consisted of performing the required sacrifices by which God would forgive the people, but this needed to be validated by their ministry toward God, tending to all the duties of the tabernacle, keeping the perpetual candles burning on the menorahs and maintaining the perpetual incense on the Golden Altar of Incense, and replenishing the Table of Showbread every day, and these were just the beginning of their temple services, which were all a type of ministry toward God that ultimately had its application toward people. When our ministry toward God is incomplete, our ministry toward people suffers. Our ministry toward God equips us with an anointing that we use to minister to people, and without the anointing we are just fleshly people who believe in a set of doctrines. So our ministry toward God is critical as the foundation of our ministry toward people. See also: ministering to God/People; 130g (130g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Committed to caring for the needs of the body >> Caring for spiritual needs – Church should be a life-changing experience to every member of the body of Christ, but what do we see instead? The stronger the leadership of a church, the less unity there is among its members, and the more pastoral leadership the people want indicates their reluctance to be led by the Spirit. When we observe the format of the average service of the early church, there were still sermons and songs, but these were not the apex of the service. There was something else that is now missing in the Church today, participation. Part of the reason this is lacking is that the opportunity doesn’t even exist anymore. That is, the design of our services do not lend itself to participating in the ministry of the saints. This mutual exchange can only happen to a body of believers who are seeking spiritual maturity, but at present people just go through the motions of Christianity. See also: ministering to God/People; 131h (131h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Interdependence >> Being selfless toward one another – Paul wasn’t just interested in expressing his faith to the Roman Christians; he longed for their ministry in his life too. This is the very essence and definition of unity: a mutual exchange of wisdom and insight through a common state of spiritual maturity. Unity is like an electron cloud surrounding the nucleus (Christ) of an atom, where the electrons bounce off each other in the electron cloud, and no one but God is in control of their movements. The scientist doesn’t know exactly where the electron is at any given time, anymore than Christians know which direction the Spirit is blowing. The current of God’s ministry does not flow in a single direction like an electric circuit through a wire; it is not like a bucket brigade where a village tries to save a burning house; it is not like the preacher behind the pulpit directing his teaching at the people. Rather, unity is when people are mature enough to minister to each other, resulting in spiritual fellowship. Paul mentioned spiritual fellowship in Philippians chapter two. It is defined as a mutual exchange between members of the body of Christ, so each is further established in the faith. See also: Spiritual fellowship; 137m (137m) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Maturing with our brothers >> Employing your gifts to mature the body (Spiritual fellowship) – There is something about revealing to one another the things that God has revealed to us that promotes spiritual maturity. It establishes a direct application for our ministry toward God, otherwise if there were no application, what good is it? If it is useful to know these things, we will pursue them, but without an application there is no reason to seek spiritual maturity. Churches need to create opportunities for people to share their faith with each other. Some people might say that this is a scary proposition, because who knows what people are really thinking; all known forms (and unknown forms) of heresy may surface, and the pastor will spend all his time and energy correcting false teachings, so there are risks in promoting spiritual maturity, but what hope do we have without it? With the no-risk method of our current religiosity there is a one hundred percent chance people will not mature. There is big fear in heresy, big fear in people getting a big head and calling themselves prophets, big fear in trying to take over the Church, all from a lack of spiritual maturity, but that is no excuse to avoid pursuing it. We must push aside the fears and work through the impediments until people learn how to conduct themselves in the house of God as Paul taught in First Corinthians. Paul wrote to them and not to the pastor, because it is the people’s ministry. Paul taught the Corinthians in a way that engendered spiritual maturity. There certainly needs to be central leadership, but the overseer must give authority to the people to minister to the body. See also: Spiritual fellowship; 139d (139d) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Encouragement >> Encouragement strengthens our faith -- Consider this spiritual equation: The body of Christ minus encouragement equals zero. The Church today is starving for genuine encouragement, not a pat on the back, but a recognition and reception of our gifts that we in turn receive from other people's storehouse of experiences with God. With this mutual exchange comes a spiritual transmission that confirms our direction that if we can receive and impart spiritual gifts within the body of Christ, we are still on course, and it encourages us to know that the same things are also happening to the brethren. We need to get a bearing instead of drifting aimlessly with no frame of reference. See also: Spiritual fellowship; Rom 1,11-13; 129b KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1,9-12 (6j) Responsibility >> Being spiritual >> Ministering to each other by the strength in your Spirit – Look at 1Cor 2,10-16 that describes Paul's longing for spiritual union with his fellow believers, similar to exchanging gifts at Christmas time. Rom 1-9,10 (83d) Thy kingdom come >> Results of prayer >> Prayer ministers to God (248a) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God >> We play our part in the will of God >> Knowing the will of God Rom 1-9 (12g) Servant >> Bond servant >> Their relationship with God -- Paul had a strong relationship with God and spent considerable time with Him pouring over His word and spent hours in prayer. In this way he was serving God in his spirit, and we are supposed to do the same, for he is our example. Look at the rest of the topics of this verse and note how most of them pertain to spiritually serving God in different ways. (140c) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> House where you live with Jesus (154j) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> Having a good conscience >> God is my conscience (252f) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God who is Spirit >> Worship God in the Spirit (255e) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> God’s word is Spirit >> God is Spirit Rom 1,11-13 (129b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing the fruit of evangelism >> Spiritual fruit – Paul is talking about an equal sharing between himself and the members of the church in Rome. He desired to impart into them wisdom, knowledge and spiritual blessings that he received from God, but he didn’t want to be the only one with a gift. He wanted them also to be ready to share their spirit with him. Paul was after that which dwells in their hearts, things that God has planted there, things they have come to understand about God. He wanted to hear how they have grown in the faith, the ways God has ministered to them through His word. He wanted to see their excitement about the truth they had come to believe about God, their faith and most of all their love that ultimately results from these things. The Bible teaches that love is the ultimate act of faith. People need food, clothes, shelter, etc., and the things that underlie their desire to help are radiant and full of color, having originated from God. Love is most important; we could pontificate all day, while people’s bellies are growling. Missionaries go to other countries and provide food, shelter and medical supplies that people need, but that is not enough; they also need to hear the gospel. The gospel underlies the reason for the missionary being there in the first place and is the basis of their love and desire to help. Love is magnetic compared to the evil nature of the world. When we see love, we know it originated from God, and it compels us to seek Him. Therefore, how much more compelling are the things that underlie love, wisdom and understanding that God wants to impart in us and in each other, just as He wants us to love one another? See also: Spiritual fellowship; 230f (230f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking of the ministry of the saints -- A more meaningful term to describe what Paul was seeking from the saints is "spiritual fellowship", which an interdependent relationship of giving one's self to the body of Christ, while mutually receiving their ministry as they impart their blessing back to the body. In this way there is not a draw from any one source that could run dry, but rather the source comes from the collective body as they remain faithful to the word of God and prayer in their personal relationship with Christ. See also: Spiritual fellowship; Rom 1,9-13; 100j Rom 1-11,12 (35ja) Gift >> God gives Himself to us >> Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> Spiritual gifts >> Possessing gifts from God (98b) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> Plant the word deeply in your heart (114g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Implementing the revelation of the Holy Spirit (234l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Be a blessing >> Freely give what you received from God -- You might well ask, 'if I received power from the Holy Spirit, what would I do with it?' It may seem trivial at first, but the most meaningful use of God's power is to invest it back into His kingdom through spiritual fellowship. This further strengthens the body which releases God to work more fluently among His people, which in turn continues to foster spiritual growth in the body of Christ in a chain reaction, until we grow strong enough to affect the world around us. This causes the body to grow in numbers, and of those who receive Christ step into this growing process and are assimilated into the anointing to become a vital member of the body of Christ. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1,13-16 (123a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Boldness to speak the word by the Spirit – Paul wanted to obtain some fruit from the Church in Rome; what kind of fruit did he want, money? Paul viewed money as a necessary evil; the Church didn’t run on money as it does today. Back then people worshipped God in their homes; there were no buildings because of persecution, and Christianity worked just fine; in fact it flourished. The fruit that Paul sought from the Romans was spiritual, like he said a couple verses earlier (v11,12). Paul was seeking a mutual exchange of spiritual fruit, knowing that if they can contribute in this way, it acts as an indicator of God's life within them. Paul needed it, and the Church in Rome need to share it, which is a sign of good spiritual health. A poor person has very little to offer in monetary and material ways, and a church that is spiritually impoverished has no means of reciprocating spiritual fruit. If they know the truth, it doesn’t mean much if they cannot offer it to anyone; we need to know the truth well enough to explain it to others. Paul wanted to hear faith coming from Roman believers, because if he could hear their faith, then he knew that faith lived in their hearts, for we live how we believe and speak what we know. See also: Church (Strife and division); 1Cor 10,5-11; 64d (210k) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> Fellow heirs with Israel (Spiritual Jew) >> Ministry to the Gentiles -- These verses go with verses 5-7 Rom 1-13 (61c) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Author—Paul or John / Jesus Rom 1,14-16 (148i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Obligation to preach the gospel >> Ambassador in chains – Greeks and barbarians have one thing in common; they are both gentiles. Note that Paul never gave His opinion whether the Romans were civilized or barbarians but left it for them to decide. Even if they were uncivilized, Paul was obligated to preach Jesus to them. At the heart of civilization is knowledge, for there is no civilization that is without knowledge. On the one hand, all knowledge is beneficial in some ways, but God does not accept all knowledge as true; nevertheless, false knowledge has sustained empires for centuries, such as the Egyptians. They had a lot of strange ideas, yet they were noble people and built the pyramids as perhaps the greatest architectural achievement of all time. On the other hand, There is a cycle within all people groups whether civilized or barbarian, and within this cycle there is just existence. Some people are content with merely existing; for instance, barbarians do not value knowledge; their existence is a never-ending mindless pursuance from day to day without establishing an elaborate system of living. To them all that exists is today, for tomorrow doesn’t count and yesterday doesn’t matter. Rom 1-14,15 (216c) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God takes advantage of your love for Him >> He forces you by your desire for His calling Rom 1-14 (1f) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> become all things to all men >> Conform without compromise – Paul was under obligation both to Greeks and barbarians (gentiles). He was under obligation also to the Jews, to preach the gospel both to the wise and the foolish. He had no freedom to single out a group and preach only to them or to exclude anyone. He was under obligation to all men, and being they had so many customs, it meant many ways to offend them, and if he offended them, he could not win them to Christ. He was required to conform to their ways that he might relate to them without compromising his faith. (5e) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples preach the gospel (186d) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> The fool >> The fool throws Jesus away for something better >> The world betrayed the Lord -- This verse goes with verses 18-32 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1-15 (101f) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal >> Fulfill your calling with zeal Rom 1-16 (64h) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Weaknesses of God >> God subjects himself to human frailty >> His weakness is stronger than men – Paul said that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. There is a paradox in this when we think about what the gospel represents. The central figure, Jesus, sacrificed His body on a cross in weakness, and this has power to save the human soul. Our input is to accept the sacrifice of His body for the forgiveness of sin by confessing that we are sinners and believing that His sacrifice completely satisfies the Father's requirement, so we don’t need to do another thing to be acceptable in His sight. If it is just that simple, then why is the Bible so thick? Now that He saved us from our sins, He doesn’t want us to go on sinning, and so the rest of the Bible is devoted to sanctification, the setting apart of ourselves from the world, and there is much instruction about this. (86b) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Treating the knowledge of God as fact >> Believing is the result of the resurrection (210f) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our savior >> We must believe in the savior to be saved – Man is faced with the question of God; he is obligated to believe something about Him. People over the millennia have concocted many ideas about God, while others want to personally know Him. God has given us the gospel that we may come to know Him by the Spirit that He has given to those who believe in Him. Central to the gospel is that anybody who believes in Jesus must by definition believe that God loves mankind and believe He is a good person; otherwise, why would God send His Son to die for our sins? That brings up one other thing that is intrinsic to the gospel, God’s opinion that man is a sinner. People like to use World Wars I and II to prove that God does not care about us and may not even exist, but these wars actually do more to prove God’s point that man is a sinner, rebellious and disobedient to the gospel. The developed nations of the world acted like barbarians during those wars, yet claimed to believe in Jesus, who died for our sins. Sometimes people forget about the subject of sin as they drift from the central theme of the gospel. The cross was not God’s solution of man sinning against each other, but was his solution for man sinning directly against Him. King David said, “Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51-4). After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and diabolically murdered her husband so he could marry her, he sinned against God. (210i) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is from the Jews >> Jews are believers >> Gospel belongs to the Jew first -- The gospel was meant for the Jew first, and also for the gentiles in that order. Jesus came as Israel's Messiah and they rejected Him. God then called upon the gentiles to carry His word into all the world and would return to Israel at the end of the age when the Jews finally repent and believe in Jesus. We however as gentiles should keep in mind that we were redeemed by Israel's savior and not get haughty and join with the world in accusing the Jews of crucifying their own Messiah. The world will not receive Christ and are guilty of the very thing they have accused the Jews. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1,17-25 (151j) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Creation is evidence of God >> Living things reflect the nature of God – We can certainly look at the creation and say there is definitely a God without knowing anything else about him. Many people cannot honestly say they know God, yet we must still hold to the fact that we all know God on some level, for the creation itself, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature have been clearly seen, so we are without excuse. We do not live in a cardboard box but know God in relation to our observations of the creation, which affords a low-level knowledge of Him. Our accountability to God increases as we increase in both knowledge of the creation and personal experience with Him, such as reading the Bible. The more we know, the more accountable we are to Him; the more we learn about Him, the more reason to commit our lives to Him. Conversely, the more we remain ignorant, the less God will judge us, but if we willfully ignore Him, He will judge us for that too, so no matter how we cut it, we are accountable to God. Rom 1,17-23 (154h) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Witness that the world is rebellious against God >> Witness against unbelief -- People who don't believe in God might ask, "why doesn't God show Himself to us once in a while to prove that He exists"? That would be a little redundant, since He has already given us the entire universe as proof of His existence. What if God wanted us to simply believe in His existence that He is a good natured God; is that too much to ask? It is to a lot of people! What if God appeared before all mankind, what would that do? It would confirm the faith of those who believed and frustrate the unbelief of those who didn't. Remember Jesus' parable about the rich man and Lazarus, after the rich man's eyes were opened in hell, he wanted Lazarus to rise from the dead and go tell his brothers about this place, so they didn't end up there too. Moses said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets [the Bible], then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead." So, what's the application? If they do not gain any wisdom or understanding from the witness of the creation or the Bible, then neither would they be persuaded if God Himself stood in front of them. This is eluding to the spirit of unbelief. Rom 1-17 (41fb) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Righteousness of faith >> Justified by faith – God is righteous, meaning He always does what is right. Unrighteousness is another word for sin. That word unrighteousness means we do things we know are wrong. Sin is deceitful, so we only need to ask, ‘Am I being tempted to do what is right?’ The answer is always "no" because temptation is never associated with doing what is right. Suddenly it becomes clear that we should avoid the temptation. God is righteous; He always does what is right according to His opinion, and His opinion is the origin and epitome of righteousness. God will rightly judge us, and He will also help us because He is righteous. (85l) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Treating the knowledge of God as fact >> Believing the Son by obeying the Father >> Obeying the law by faith in the cross >> Obedience represents our faith -- This verse, "But the righteous man shall live by faith," is a quote from the Old Testament that is used numerous times in the New Testament, most often in the book of Romans. It is a popular verse because it conclusively establishes a major principle within Scripture that righteousness is associated with faith, not with obedience to the law. Ironically though, the inadvertent aftereffect of having faith in Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, which was the goal of the Father from the beginning, in that Christ has given us the Holy Spirit after believing in His cross. We now have power and willingness to fulfill the law, whereas without faith we had neither. Those who seek to fulfill the law outside of faith have only one tool at their disposal - guilt, and guilt leads to an evil conscience and condemnation, which have the opposite effect of being led by the Spirit. (108j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Revelation of His righteousness KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1,18-32 (51f) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> God warns the immoral man (153f) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Shame >> Hiding under a cloud of guilt >> Opposing the truth (157f) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Being displeasing to God >> Living in unbelief (166b) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Man’s wisdom excuses his sinful nature >> Man’s wisdom gives reason to reject God -- When we look closer at the world's reasoning, most of it is detached and subjective rambling with the goal of people getting their own way. We can tell they have a destination in mind about their so-called objective theories. For example, scientists long ago have concluded that life has created itself, and that there is no need for a God to explain the origins of the universe. When we think how ludicrous that sounds, it tops the imagination. Life is self-propelled, they say, but how did it get started in the first place, and is it self-propelled? They have all their grandiose theories to explain any question we might ask them. The biggest question and the hardest one to answer (or accept) is this: where are all of these fantasies taking us. The answer is straight to hell, where they originated. See also: Reprobate; 167i / Formation of the reprobate mind; Rom 3-19,20; 52d (167i) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil (Conspiracy) >> Carnality/Secularism (Mindset of the World) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It rejects God – The people of Paul’s description did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, suggesting they tried Christianity, but it didn't fit in their lives. Faith in Jesus Christ does not fit in anyone's life; people must make room for Him. Christianity didn’t work for them, they say, because God wanted to reign in them through their conscience, and they misused their conscience until it didn’t work anymore. God knows everything that is in us and about us; he knows how we think and our willingness to walk in corruption and our willingness to be deceitful and merely pretend to be Christians. This is what people mean when they say, ‘I tried Christianity and it didn’t work.’ They never allowed Jesus into their hearts. The most they ever had was a semblance of Christianity, and they lost that too. See also: Reprobate; 181e (181b) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Rebelling against God >> Rebelling against the witness of God (181e) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Lawlessness is no excuse for sin >> Lawlessness does not cancel the power of sin -- A person who doesn't believe there is a God must think sin does not exist, since there is no one to sin against. However, this irrational thinking does not cancel the power of sin. The Bible predicts that the world will destroy itself someday, and that God will send His Son just before people totally annihilate themselves to save His elect who didn't participate in the world's sin. This whole scenario would transpire even if there were no God, since He had nothing to do with it, except to stop it before man went totally extinct. Therefore, if you don't want to call it sin, that's fine, but whatever name you give it refers to your downfall. Sin has an eroding effect on everything and everyone it touches, and there is no way to change that or explain it away. See also: Reprobate; 185f (185f) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Mystery of lawlessness >> Having knowledge but not knowing God – Paul said that the world actually knows God (v21), which is by far the scariest part of this dire warning. Paul condemned a people to a reprobate mind, suggesting there are varying levels of denying Christ. This level of knowledge to which Paul refers probably runs the gamut from partial knowledge to full knowledge. The man with a reprobate mind has crossed a line that was drawn, based on how much he knew when he rejected the one true God. The person who develops a reprobate mind doesn't just know about God but actually knew Him on some level and experienced Him to some extent. He knew God, Paul says, but he traded his knowledge for futile speculations, and his foolish heart was darkened, meaning he started believing his own lies, and it went downhill from there. See also: Reprobate; Rom 1,18-25; 16k (186d) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> The fool throws Jesus away for something better >> The world betrayed the Lord -- These verses go with verse 14 (186k) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> God’s role in forming a reprobate >> Rejected by God (202h) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Running from the word of God >> Running from the witness of God (212f) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> Evolution (Defaming God) >> God created atheists too Rom 1,18-25 (16k) Sin >> Continuing in sin to avoid the light >> Suppressing the truth they cannot deny – Propaganda plumes from the tongue of liars like billows of smoke riddled with infectious disease. They cannot prove any of their claims, but continue lying; they don’t care if they get caught; they just want someone to believe them. Steady, perseverant, adhering to their fictitious cause, they believe in the power of darkness to pervert the gospel message to keep people from believing the truth, and hopefully swaying those on the fence to join their darkness. Some who clearly fit this description are university professors, the spurious media, and the homosexual community, where atheism is taught and its evolution counterpart. There are some who don’t believe in a grand conspiracy, but this passage points to the fact that society has gone astray. It all starts by people breathing lies, and others believing them. Once a strong nucleus forms, they can use it as proof that what they purport is true. They suspend their mutant concepts on thin air, building whole mindsets on a baseless foundation. They don’t care that their invented ideas are built on stilts driven into sand next to an angry sea that tests the work of every man's truth through time. See also: Reprobate; Rom 1,21-25; 74i (54ea) Paradox >> Opposites >> Creation does not know its creator (Pantheism) KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1,18-22 (109a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Spirit reveals the Father (154b) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> No excuse >> There is no excuse for rejecting the Father – The teaching of grace has been so proliferated throughout the Church today that there is no longer any room for the fear of God. The Father will be an unforeseen stumbling block to many trying to crash the doors of heaven. They will have forgotten about Him until they try to enter the pearly gates and notice that He is staring at them and realize they are complete strangers. They think heaven would be a perfect place without God, but they don't know that heaven is heaven because of Him. It is a heavenly place also because there is no fear that the Father would let anyone through its gates who would think to harm its inhabitants. A person must be born-again before he can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but if they have not been saved, though they have heard the story of Jesus and went to all the movies that depicted Him giving His blood for the sins of the world and then rose from the dead three days later, they will suddenly realize that He did all that for His Father to forgive them; but if they never repented of their sin or trusted Jesus to be personally forgiven, they will suddenly find themselves estranged from Him. (169f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is blind to God >> Willful blindness (198b) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers when he is in control >> Unteachable >> Too busy being a teacher to learn anything Rom 1,18-21 (246hh) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Materializing the inner man Rom 1,18-20 (221d) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Ki ngdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from the mind of man >> He hides behind man’s intellect -- These verses go with verse 24. Man thinks he is pretty smart, yet the smarter he thinks of himself the less he understands God, from whom true knowledge derives. God owns and guards the storehouse of all wisdom and knowledge, and chooses the humble to understand His ways. If a person wishes for knowledge, let him first become a fool, that he may become wise in the eyes of God, who doesn't reveal Himself to emboldened braggarts (See 1Cor 3-18). It is ironic that God would hide behind man's intellect like a shield, behind the very thing that man uses to examine the universe, because He knows man's reasoning would be the last thing on earth that would ever find Him. The more his science learns about life and the universe, the more evidence is stockpiled for the existence of God, yet the less man is willing to believe in Him. How is that objective, Mr. Scientist? (151h) Creation Is Evidence Of God (Key verse) (246g) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Demonstration of His power Rom 1-18 (163d) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Bondage makes you a victim of God’s judgment (240j) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Taking away the key of knowledge >> Suppressing the truth -- The Bible teaches that sin has a corrosive effect on the truth in the sinner's heart. We could compare it to a blanket that first covers the truth from view and then suffocates faith from it. This verse seems to indicate that there two avenues that sin uses to suppress the truth. First, we see the general decline of society that lives through the direction of the second avenue, that of lawyers, the media and college professors handing down their value systems based on what they believe about God and their world. This process has picked away at the truth until now the Bible is not even believed to be the inspired word of God. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1,20-32 (161n) Works of the devil >> Carried away by lust Rom 1-20 (2n) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Get out of His way >> Do not abuse His grace – We abuse God's grace by refusing to acknowledge Him, ignoring the hard evidence that points to His existence and character, namely the evidence of our own life and life around us. No one can be ignorant of these things without putting an effort into it, and it is this willful ignorance that God considers abusive to His grace. (154a) No Excuse (Key verse) Rom 1,21-32 (64f) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Limits of God >> God cannot directly violate the will of man (145i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Demon possession >> Human state >> Filthiness >> Rejecting the opportunity to be holy -- Candy-coated homosexuality ultimately exhibits the characteristics of this long list of traits spelled in this passage, traits that a demon-possessed person might have, suggesting there is a connection between homosexuality and demon possession. Did you know that the antichrist is to be a homosexual (Daniel 11-37)? One of the traits that the last-days generation will exhibit will be widespread homosexuality. This perverse human behavior carries with it the same level of rebellion against everything that is sanctioned by God that are in end time prophesies regarding the condition of man prior to Christ's return. Whenever you find rebellion, you will also find sexual perversion. In cases of profound rebellion, homosexuality is almost always present. Rom 1,21-25 (74i) Thy kingdom come >> Heart of man is sinful >> It is deceitful and desperately wicked – When a person gets saved and then turns against the Lord in his heart, all Paul’s warnings go into affect. He believed God but never honored Him as God or gave thanks, but became futile in his speculations and his foolish heart was darkened. We ask, ‘There aren’t really people like this are there?' Yes! They get saved and then abandon the faith and cleave to the world's mythology and speculations, which they know are wrong. They make the conscious decision to believe against the Lord, essentially evicting the Holy Spirit who will never return, even if they invite Him back with loud crying and tears, for there is no place for repentance for insulting the Spirit of grace. They rejected Him in full knowledge of the truth, and God is willing to take only so much abuse. They are no longer ignorant; they are no longer innocent; they consciously abandoned the faith, knowing precisely what they were doing and its consequences. They never return to a place of faith; everything else is open for debate, but God's truth is no longer on the table. See also: Reprobate; Rom 1,18-32; 166b (170e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Seeking the glory of man >> Greed and lust are the glory of man >> Woman is the glory of man (195i) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping other gods >> Worshipping other gods as a god yourself -- As a subordinate creature, if a person is unwilling to worship God, he will worship something else under the pretense of being a god himself. Remember in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve took the fruit, they ate it under the pretense of being gods (Genesis 3-5). Therefore, those who are not worshippers of God aspire His position. See also: Adam wanted to be like God; 1Cor 3,18-20; 166f Rom 1,21-23 (201k) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Man’s will over God >> Man is unwilling to acknowledge God -- These verses go with verse 25 (223e) Kingdom of God >> The elusive kingdom of heaven >> Conceited toward God -- These verses go with verses 25-27. What good is it to be conceited toward God just to find that the doors of His kingdom have been shut on us? God is elusive enough without running from Him. We have a better chance of finding Him if we seek Him with all our heart as the Bible says. In fact if we don't, we will never find Him. Rom 1-21 (26j) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Curse >> Deeds that return to the doer >> Sin backfires on you -- This verse goes with verse 24. What does this phrase mean, "And their foolish heart was darkened?" There was a time when they were able to make decisions either for or against God, but the Bible doesn't say they darkened their own heart, but their heart was darkened by something else, namely by demons. This means God took away their will to seek Him, so if later they wanted to change their minds, the couldn't. Losing our will to seek God in essence is to lose what defines us as being human. They listened to the devil so long they at last became one, no longer able to serve God, rejected regards the faith, condemned as they stand. See also: Deceitfulness of sin; 181j (155e) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> An evil conscience keeps us from believing God >> Knowledge of evil testifies against our motives (177k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the will of God >> Man’s knowledge of God is based on presumption (181j) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Self deception >> Deceitfulness of sin -- This verse goes with verse 28. Remember what the Bible says about "deceiving and being deceived" (2Tim 3-13). They live a life of lies and deception, until they lose sight of the truth and their mind is twisted around a distorted network of fraudulent motives. They lose sight of where their life is going and become deceived by their own deceptions, held in bondage by spiritual forces of wickedness, which are an uneven match for the littleness of man. See also: Deceitfulness of sin; Rom 1,24-32; 65b (184a) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Darkness >> Hiding behind your own imagination >> Hiding behind a false partition KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1-22 (57i) Paradox >> Opposites >> More you profess wisdom, the less you have of it Rom 1,24-32 (26j) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Curse >> Deeds that return to the doer >> Sin backfires on you – They shut the door on their own opportunity to know God or find heaven. Certain people will never repent, and their innocence will slowly erode as the number of victims they accrue increases with their fixation on self. We have all heard this statement from the science field of physics, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." This is true in the natural universe as well as in the spiritual realm. (65b) Paradox >> Anomalies >> God helps Satan >> God gives people over to Satan -- After people have made up their minds about what they want in life, having seared their conscience as with a hot branding iron, they have made their decision permanent; therefore, what can God do but give up on them? After displaying such contempt for God with their words and deeds, they have stepped across an invisible line and blasphemed the Holy Spirit, and they cannot return. They have gone from receiving the most gracious open invitation to heaven, love and freedom, to having their privileges revoked. Their monstrous depravity is hideous enough without comparing it to the height from which they have fallen as creatures made in the image of God. See also: Deceitfulness of sin; Rom 1-28; 181j (154g) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Witness that the world is rebellious against God >> Witness against sin (230g) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking of God’s judgment Rom 1,24-28 (135c) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Immorality >> Homosexuality Rom 1-24,25 (135f) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Consequences of abortion >> You dishonor your own body by aborting its fruit -- How does this verse disapprove of abortion? Verse 25 says, "They worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator." They worshipped and served their own bodies by never denying it pleasure to satisfy its lust. They refused to serve any one but themselves; even their own children they destroyed. It is this excess, this plenary focus on self that incites God to irreversibly close the door on any hope of repentance, since they are swinging the door shut on themselves. God indeed cares what we do with our bodies. (184d) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> God controls darkness >> God hides unbelief in darkness -- These verses go with verse 28 Rom 1-24 (217c) God Gives Up On You (Key verse) – This verse goes with verse 28 (217d) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God gives up on you >> When you give yourself over to sin -- This verse goes with verse 28 (221d) Kingdom of God >> The elusive kingdom of heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from the mind of man >> He hides behind man’s intellect -- This verse goes with verse 28 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1,25-27 (22j) Sin >> Lust (craving pleasure) >> Sexual lust (223e) Kingdom of God >> The elusive kingdom of heaven >> Conceited toward God -- These verses go with verses 21-23 Rom 1-25 (201k) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Man’s will over God >> Man is unwilling to acknowledge God -- This verse goes with verse 27. Whenever people reject God in full knowledge, they lean toward worshipping the creation rather than the creator. That is, they worship the evidence of God, being they are in rebellion against His person. In other words, they worship their own observations, their ability to perceive, their five senses, themselves. Rom 1-26,27 (16f) Sin >> Man’s willingness to be evil >> Using sin to achieve your goals Rom 1-27 (201k) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Man’s will over God >> Man is unwilling to acknowledge God -- This verse goes with verses 29-32 Rom 1,28-32 (22g) Sin >> Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly mind – Paul is describing people who have learned the nomenclature of Christianity and have learned the ways of churchianity, but they don't obey God. He is teaching us how to identify them, giving us a list of behaviors, saying anyone among you who calls himself a Christian yet lives in a way that the Law of Moses condemns, we are to avoid such men as these (2Tim 3,1-5). God has the Church in the world to become the salt of the earth, and the only way we can successfully do that is to keep ourselves pure. If there are offending members in the church who refuse to repent, we cannot afford to keep them in the assembly, regardless how much money they give. (96n) Thy kingdom come >> Having a negative attitude about sin >> Having a rebellious attitude (165c) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is at enmity with God >> The world is wicked (250j) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> List of traits that can be found in man >> List of traits of the heart KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rom 1-28 (181j) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Self deception >> Deceitfulness of sin -- This verse goes with verse 21. A person’s heart can be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We know Satan is deceitful; he spoke to the woman in the Garden of Eden and deceived her, but sin itself is deceitful. Sin is conceived in the heart, and once we act on it, we manifest it in the world. The deception of sin is two-fold: (1) it offers a momentarily reward, and its deceitfulness makes us think the fleeting moment of happiness is worth the misery that follows. For example, the drug addict searches for the next high at the cost of furthering his addiction, leading to poor health and possibly an early death, yet he agrees to these terms. (2) The second aspect of the deceitfulness of sin is that it has a spiritual affect, clouding our minds and making poor decisions in accepting sin. The deceitfulness of sin is associated with demons, the greater the sin the greater the demons, and the more power they have over us. This is the reason we must become free from the bondage of sin, so these demonic forces lose their power over us to enslave us in their bondage and guide our minds to think along their terms, leading to an evil and unbelieving heart (Heb 3-12). See also: Deceitfulness of sin; 217d (184d) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> God controls darkness >> God hides unbelief in darkness -- This verse goes with verses 24&25 (217c) God Gives Up On You (Key verse) – This verse goes with verse 24 (217d) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God gives up on you >> When you give yourself over to sin -- This verse goes with verse 24. It says God gave them over to a depraved mind, meaning that if they leave under these terms, they cannot return. It closely follows the principle of demon possession that Jesus outlined in Lk 11,24-26, “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” This is saying that when the devil is exorcized from a person, but afterward he doesn't invite the Holy Spirit to come live in his heart, then a spiritual state will befall him that is worse than the first. Likewise, when a person who once believed in God abandons his faith, he will be leaving behind any hope of salvation, and God will give him over to a depraved mind. Once being a Christian, he now hates God, because He has closed the door on him, though he really did it to himself. These are people who know the word of God and have spent time among the saints, yet they turned away from God, because they wanted to keep their sinful lifestyle, and their sins will pull them into the abyss. See also: Deceitfulness of sin; Rom 1-21; 26j (221d) Kingdom of God >> The elusive kingdom of heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from the mind of man >> He hides behind man’s intellect -- This verse goes with verses 18-20 (See commentary) Rom 1,29-32 (201k) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Man’s will over God >> Man is unwilling to acknowledge God -- These verses go with verses 21-23. Giving up on God is the ultimate insult to Him, and once they do this, it says God gave them over to a depraved mind. They said, ‘here is my depraved mind, God’ and He said, ‘Alright, I can fix that,’ and they said, ‘Oh no, I didn’t say I wanted to be fixed.’ This is the approximate dialogue that the wicked have with God who refuse to repent. Each one of us when we became Christians handed God our heart, mind and body, and God went to work on us which is still in progress. God led us into repentance and now we are living a new life where we get our feet dirty and must wash them occasionally, but we don’t jump into the mud puddle anymore or revel in filth, but there are some people among us who don’t want to be fixed; they just want to be Christians, but God would argue with them that He is in the business of fixing His people, not just saving them from hell. God says, ‘In order to be Christians, you must follow Me into repentance, and they replied, ‘That’s not what I signed up for,’ and then they just turned around and walked away from God, and He let them go. See next page