The Normal Christian Life: A Journey Through Romans
Monday, January 30, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the opportunity to start my day with You. I praise You that whether I get up at 4:00 a.m., or 8:00 a.m., or noon, You are there waiting for me to join You in the day! I praise You that You are the living God of the universe and yet You care for each of the decisions I will make today and will be there to guide me through each of the opportunities and challenges that I will face. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may know and do Your will, and that I may be a bold witness to the power of Your salvation over sin and death through the name of Jesus. I know that You have revealed Your wrath against human sin, and that You cannot tolerate evil. Even so, You have provided the way out of that wrath by sending Jesus to save us. Thank You for guiding me now and always to know and do Your will. This I pray in Jesus’ name. 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
Look at verse 18 in both the NLT and NIV and reflect on what it means that God’s anger or wrath is being shown or revealed against human sin.
When Paul describes sin in terms of godlessness, wickedness and suppression of the truth, do you think that list is suggestive or exhaustive? Why?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
Look at verse 18 in both the NIV and the NLT. What words are the same and what words are different? What difference is there in the “sense” of the verse based on the differences?
Do you see any difference concerning the object of God’s wrath in the two verses? Is it directed against people or against sin? What makes you think that?
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
While Paul’s words are stated in the negative, what does this text tell us positively about God’s plans for us?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
Yesterday you wrote (or thought of) a list of sins that you have struggled with or are struggling with in your life. Take a moment right now to ask God to give you victory over them by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.
What is one thing you can do today to help others understand how to avoid the wrath of God that is being revealed to those who live in godlessness, wickedness and suppression of the truth?
Thoughts - God's Wrath!
In our day most people want a loving, “teddy bear” God who never gets angry and certainly would never reveal His wrath against anyone, let alone against EVERYONE! The reality is the Bible never reveals such a God to us. In the Old Testament God tells us that He is “jealous” for the people of Israel and that He will brook no rivals for His attention and affection among the gods of the surrounding nations. As we go about our daily lives in 2006, we will often face ridicule if we dare to mention that God is angry for the sin of the world and that He will judge those who continue to live in godlessness, wickedness, and suppression of the truth. We must be willing to face that ridicule. No one said that being a follower of Jesus would be easy. In fact, Jesus told us that if we want to follow Him we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow. The world often ignores Jesus, or rejects Him or openly acts against Him. The temptation for us is to “soften” God’s wrath and tell folks only that Jesus loves them. Jesus DOES love them. After all, that’s why He died on the cross for us—but He also died to satisfy the justice of a holy God. We can’t have God’s love without recognizing His justice. We can’t know the good news of Jesus’ salvation, without recognizing the “bad news” that we deserve to receive the brunt of God’s wrath for our sinfulness apart from Jesus. We don’t want to dwell on God’s wrath and judgment in our interactions with non-believers, but neither do we want to deny them. The key is SHOW the love of Jesus in our words and actions, and reveal the truth of Jesus’ salvation for our sins in a way that addresses the reality of sin and God’s judgment on SIN, without saying that God’s wrath is directed toward the sinner. The distinction is key. As the old saying God, “God hates sin, but He loves the sinner.” Thank God for that! Other-wise, all of us would stand condemned and without hope in the world, but because of that reality, we may all know the hope of eternal life!
This Week’s Memory Verse:
They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. Romans 1:19