Fallen?

So, how do we handle a text like this? The opening verses of chapter one were filled with grace, acceptance and gentle encouragement. And then the blunt, hard words we just read. Bait and switch or is something important going on?

Romans one is a perfect example of speaking the truth in love. Inspired by the God who gives grace first and then when hearts are soft and open – reassured of love – in that space – truth can be heard.

So, how do we handle this text? As it is. We accept it, lean from it and allow it to increase our gratitude for the one who loves unconditionally.

The flow of the passage is simple.

Verses 18-20 state that

God makes himself known to all through the natural world.

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For 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.

This happens through the wonder of the created order. The incredibly intricate design of all nature, its inter-relationships and underlying logic. We see it in the genome. While we and mice share 99% of the same genes – we couldn’t be further apart in size, shape, ability and intelligence. Why because that one percent makes all the difference.

That and the fact we have the breath of life causing humanity to be made in the image of God. Producing in every human the drive to worship, in this we are unique. Some worship science, some the god of wealth, fame or pleasure. Some worship the One who created the heavens and the earth. The desire, the drive to worship is in everyone. It’s God given; no one has an excuse; everyone worships something or someone.

Moving on, verses 21-23 tells us how this happened.

²¹ For 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. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

This is a reference to the Fall. Our first parents rejected God and everyone born since follows in their footsteps – save one. Every human save Jesus of Nazareth is in the same place. Futile thinking, darkened thoughts, the Biblical word is ‘fool’ one who is not wise and who does not pursue the right or the good.

Instead humanity designs god that are less than human and worship them. Gods that cannot save, guide or love. In the end these false gods and all forms of ‘idol worship’ are human inventions made worse by demonic advice designed to separate the worshipper from God, wisdom and sanity.

A recent TV ad. Had a man marrying the gum he loves. That’s not sane, is it? And what does that say about the sacred nature of marriage?

Or take Howard Hughes the wealthiest man in the last generation who lost his mind pursuing wealth. All that money bought him anything but happiness.

How many others walk that path trying to find fulfillment in money, land, sexual pleasure, fame or some other false god? Giving away the gift of life for what?

Do we ever wonder why the world is the way it is? Why pedophiles make and distribute child porn, why serial killers run loose, why our government is drafting a law allowing torture. Why are there more wars going on today than ever before in human history? Could it be that war is profitable for the so called developed nations like England, France and the US?

Could it be that what happens in our world is a direct result of broken human beings lashing out at each other in confusion, futility and foolishness?

Isn’t this the evidence that rejecting God results in futility pain and suffering.

Why is the world the way it is? Has God really given humanity a chance? Here’s one more ‘proof.’

Matthew 7.12  “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Did you know that just about every religious or humanist tradition has a version of this, the Golden Rule?

• Ancient Egyptian: 1800 BC

• Hinduism
• This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.
• Roman Pagan Religion:
• "The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves."
• Native American Spirituality:
• "Do not wrong or hate your neighbor. For it is not he who you wrong, but yourself."
• Shinto: 800 AD
• "Be charitable to all beings, love is the representative of God."
• Islam
• None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."

There is universal truth – God’s truth in this “rule” it’s part of what we call God’s righteous decree - to love God and our neighbour as ourselves - and yet why is the world still the way it is? God doesn’t play favourites God has tried.

Last section: Verse: 24-32 and God’s response.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

²⁸ Furthermore, 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. ²⁹ They 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, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Although 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.

So “God hands them over” – this repeated twice more. God’s decision to release sinful humanity into our own willfulness. This is clear from both Testaments - a withdrawal of divine influence. Like a parent saying, I’ve tried to intervene, I guess they’ll just have to sort it out on their own. Ever experienced that? Two of your children who can’t get along, you’re at your wits end and finally you just let them go at it? My mom used to threaten us with buying a set of boxing gloves so we could settle things openly and directly.

God gave them over. Like a judge, God hands the sinner over to an ever-increasing cycle of sin, but this is not God’s final word. The push is for redemption. Never doubt it. God always punishes with the goal of redemption, healing and restoration into the fullness of being a man or woman made in his image.

Do not despise the disciple on the Lord, says Hebrews 12, because God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

People misunderstand this and so many suffer the escalating degrading reality of sin. Look how it goes and grows. The false worship starts in sexual identity. Verse 24 describes forms of non-marital sex – broken sexuality. Be it heterosexual promiscuity, homosexuality or bestiality – all break the seventh commandment and are equally sinful practices.

Then, once basic human identity is distorted, everything else follows: Greed breaks commandment #8, envy - #10, murder, strife and malice - #6. Disobeying parents or being rebellious to authority breaks - #5. Rejecting God and becoming faithless, heartless, ruthless breaks commandments 1-3. Pride destroys commandment 4. And what’s left? Deceit and gossip – deadly tongues wagging break commandment #9 and as James says destroys lives like a fire.

We come to the end of the passage. The escalating downward spiral demonstrates that humanity is helpless to stop the madness without outside help.  The ‘fallenness’ of humanity is total. No one can help themselves get up. Some think that some sin is worse than others. Homosexuals are somehow worse than gossips. Not true, only the consequences differ and the homosexual person who is monogamous causes less harm by far than the average gossip.

So here sits humanity. Stuck and trapped, God’s righteous decree hardwired into human nature and convicts all.

People of God, humanity has a problem. God gives his decree to everyone in their native language. No one has an excuse for their behaviour. All sin and fall short of God’s glory.

Only an act of God can reverse the curse.

I spoke to a group last week and said: we’re all mucking along together doing the best we can in the mess that is. I believe that. I also said that I am hopeful and trusting of God’s grace to heal, restore and renew.

Why? You see at just the right time God acted definitively and removed the curse. We no longer HAVE to act and live in a downward spiral. God has brought salvation: options for living today that is marked by joy, contentment and rich satisfaction.

In Jesus life, death and resurrection forgiveness is true, real and beautiful.

All God wants is for his children to embrace it for themselves and for those who sin against us. To embrace gratitude as the guiding way to be in the world. Grateful for grace to make it through each day. Grateful for those who love us and for the love given to others. Grateful for all that is good. Grateful to be acquitted and become a child of the Most High. To take hold of the one who has taken hold of you.

This passage is hard. We had to go there this morning. It levels the playing field. All people need God. All people are dying for grace. Christ offers it to us now and always. Will you receive it and know life?