Romans 1

I've decided to read through the book of Romans over the next few weeks. While I'm not going to do a chapter-by-chapter analysis of the book, I find that the book of Romans is rich in ideas and spiritual concepts. I will be choosing a few verses each day that stood out to me and will be reflecting on them further in this blog.

Today I read Romans chapter 1. The verses I will be focusing on are:

^"18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰For 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 men are without excuse.

 ²¹For 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. ²²Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

 ...

 ²⁸Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹They 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,³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Although 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." (Romans 1:18-23, 28-32 NIV)

I've been told that the first few chapters of Romans are depressing, and then there is a turn around to more hopeful talk (so stay tuned!). But wow, this first chapter is a doozy.  People definitely don't come out looking very good in this one.

The first thing that strikes me, however, is that it says God has made Himself known to us through His creation. We have no excuse for "not knowing" God, as His existence is made visible in the world around us. It is no wonder, really, that approximately 92%* of the world is theistic in some way, shape or form. We can't help but look at the world around us and believe in a higher power, in some form of spirituality. I'd wager a guess that even staunch Atheists would admit to having a spiritual experience of some kind at some point in their lives---that they, too, considered the existence of God.

This passage makes it clear that people have been created to be in tune with God. We were made to "default" to believing there is a God and to seeking out the truth of His existence. However, while God has surrounded us with the truth and proof of His existence, many have either been deceived or have chosen an incorrect path for themselves. The majority of the world has chosen to follow something or someone other than the one and only True God.

It is also no wonder that, because the majority of the world is not on the right path, towards the True God, that this world is full of all the cruelty and evil it is. I'm not saying that Christians are perfect (I know I'm not), but I truly do believe this world would be a much better place if more than a third* of its population was living in accordance to the Truth.

This world is not a bad place because God made it that way. This world is a bad place because people have chosen to ignore God and follow their own "home-made" gods--whether that's Zeus or money or something else completely. God has allowed us to have our choice. It's not like He hasn't given us plenty of warning. Romans 1 makes it clear, we've been warned. We know the consequences of our actions. Why should we be surprised when God actually deals out those consequences on Judgement Day? It's simple: you can choose to follow God and the Bible, and be granted eternal life through Jesus' salvation. Or you can choose to follow something else, be granted eternal damnation.

It's not a pleasant thought. Most people don't like being told there is only one right way to do something, but the fact of the matter is that's the way it is. A mother can warn her child not to touch the flickering flame of a candle, but the child chooses whether or not to listen. Should that child really be surprised when they get burned after choosing to disobey their mother? Would it not have been better for that child to just trust their mother's wisdom and avoid reaching for that flame?

But we want what we want. We turn our back on God. We refuse to acknowledge Him, or to thank Him for the good things He offers us. We decide our way is better. Our "home-made gods" are just fine. We want our way. We've all wandered down our own paths at some point or another, and have encouraged others to do the same. The general philosophy is to live and let live. I'll let you have your sin, if you let me have mine. Everyone's having fun, right? No harm, no foul?

Wrong. Take a look at the world around you. Take a look at what a mutual agreement to sin has done to this world. It's not a pretty picture.



*Source: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html