“July 11, 2024 - Without Excuse”

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Without Excuse

Reading:  Romans 1:16-23
    
    Paul is eager to preach about Jesus because he is convinced of the power of the message to change lives and destinies.  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek”(Rom 1:16).  People of all nations and spiritual backgrounds need saving.  Jesus has died to achieve it and Paul proclaims this good news to produce faith in his hearers (Rom 1:17).

    But why do people need saving?  “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth”(Rom 1:18).  People have done evil, triggering God’s righteous judgment on them.  Human rebellion (Paul especially has the Gentiles in mind here, as we will see) begins with ignoring God’s revelation of himself.  “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse”(Rom 1:20).  Though they understand God’s power and eternal nature, they refuse to honor or thank him and instead turn to evil thoughts.  “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things”(Rom 1:22-23).  Drunk on their own thinking, they substitute God’s creation for God, giving glory to idols depicting animals and humans.  While they retain a desire to worship something greater than themselves, they dishonor the true God by ignoring him and worshiping their own creation in his place.

    Paul remarks that the Gentiles who descend into sin are “without excuse.”  He implies that they know enough about God (“his invisible attributes…have been clearly perceived”) to choose better; if they did not know, they would have some excuse.  Their knowledge makes their sin even more heinous:  “although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him”(Rom 1:21).  There is a warning here for us:  when God gives us knowledge, he expects us to do what we know.  He expects us to honor him and give thanks to him.  Refusing to do so dishonors him and starts us on an unspeakably destructive path.

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One Thing to Think About:  Given what I know about God, what does he expect of me?

One Thing to Pray For:  Humble, God-honoring thinking
 

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