The Normal Christian Life: A Journey Through Romans
Sunday, January 29, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I thank You for this Lord’s day, on which I have the opportunity to gather with brothers and sisters through Your Son, Jesus Christ, to worship and praise You! As we move to the section of Romans that points out the universal nature of human sin, I pray that You will give me grace to remember that I am a sinner, that my life is saturated with sin as a result of the reality that I am a human being. I pray that You will fill me with the Holy Spirit right now that I may be made aware of the greater truth that the blood of Jesus washes me of all sin and frees me to live boldly and confidently in His name today and always. Heavenly Father, I pray that You will open the eyes of my heart that I may see the wonderful truth You have for me in Your written word, and use me to share that truth with others. This I pray in the strong name of Jesus Christ, my risen Lord. Amen.
God’s Word Today—Romans 1:18-20
Romans 1:18-20 NLT
18But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. 19For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.
Romans 1:18-20 NIV*
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.
*Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.
Reflecting on God’s Word
How do you respond to the truth of God’s word that God’s anger is being poured out against all the godlessness and wickedness of humanity? Reflect on how these verses impact your view of God. Consider the nuances that each of the two translations brings out in the text:
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
Through the week we will be examining the three verses—Romans 1:18-20 individually and in two different translations. For today read through the two translations of the Scripture and write the major truths you find contained in them below:
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
What does the reality that God is “revealing His anger” or “showing his anger” say about His purpose for our lives?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
In this week’s Scriptures we start to see Paul lay out his “case” for the sinfulness of all humanity. That being the case, let’s apply today’s Scripture by examining our hearts and writing below any areas of “godlessness, wickedness and suppression of the truth,” that we are currently harboring in our lives. If you don’t feel comfortable writing them below, at least take time to name them before God, and confess that these areas of sin need to be addressed by Him:
Thoughts - Intuitively Obvious to the Most Casual Observer...
Today’s thoughts focus on the message title for today’s message in the worship service at New Life Christian Ministries. The title, “Intuitively Obvious to the Most Causal Observer,” reflects Paul’s understanding that the “truth about God” is known to us “instinctively.” Paul uses Romans 1:18-3:23 to establish that every human being is a sinner. While that may be intuitively obvious to those of us who have been reared in a Christian environment, it may not have been obvious to all the believers who made up the church at Rome in 52 A.D. Given that those of Jewish background in the group may well have consider themselves to have been “above” sin, and those who were Gentiles by background may not have considered the reality of sin before being exposed to Jesus’ teachings, Paul wanted to make it clear that ALL have sinned.
He also wanted to establish that every, single person on the planet is without excuse when it comes to understanding the reality that God exists. Paul tells us that such knowledge is “instinctive” or intuitively obvious. One doesn’t need a Master of Divinity degree to know that God exists. In fact, Paul points out that the reality of God is put on our consciences, in our hearts and even more concretely through creation. We’ll look at each of these aspects of God’s existence as we work our way through the week, but for today let’s remember that while our culture may say it’s difficult or even impossible to know or prove the existence of God, Paul ASSUMES the existence of God. As we go about our daily lives as Jesus’ followers, life is much simpler if we just remember that. We don’t have to get up every morning and struggle our way through the question: Does God exist? He does, and that reality shapes everything we are and everything we do. When we acknowledge that God not only exists, but that His Son, Jesus, has saved us, and that His Spirit lives in us, it makes all the difference. Let’s live today with Jesus at the center! As we do, we can be sure that others will come to see the obvious reality of God through us!
This Week’s Memory Verse:
They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. Romans 1:19