Therefore God also
gave them up to uncleanness,
in the lusts of their
hearts, to dishonor their
bodies among
themselves, who exchanged the
truth of God for the
lie, and worshiped and
served the creature
rather than the Creator,
Who is blessed
forever, Amen.
Romans 1:24–25
This part
of the book of Romans strikes at the significant part in regards to our world.
This in today as in no other, time. Yes, uncleanness has presented itself in
all times and in all nations, but not in the manner that it done in this
present age. To look back in history to give validity and reason to those
unclean practices as though this is normal and natural is specious inasmuch as
this form of argument attempts to give these unclean actions validity when they
are deceptively attractive. Notice this: uncleanness that is lust in a heart
may at first, is attractive and when examined, as I will attempt to do, found
that this attractiveness is only a veil covering much harm. Many of us, at
least in some way, found sin to be attractive: right? Why else would we sin? If
sin does not attract us then we are the most ignorant of people: in fact
stupid! How often, and only you or I know, did the Holy Spirit that indwells a
believer who has lost his way and allowed his own desires, attempt to park the
Holy Spirit outside the bedroom door while we satisfy our lusts? Oh! I expect a
sinner, a non–Christian to do just that; satisfy their lusts without any regard
as to whether or not it is wrong. For them it is not wrong. Does God agree with
that assessment? No! God gives those who desire and perform uncleanness by
giving them up to that uncleanness. This uncleanness, no matter Christian or
not, is nothing more than a dishonor to your or their bodies. All said: this is
an exchange the truth of God for a lie and by this, worship, and serves the
natural corrupted man and not the Creator. There is no excuse, not for a
Christian, and even not for a non–Christian. Do not even non–Christians have
judiciary laws against such: i.e., prostitution, regulation of marriage vows
and divorce, murder, stealing, incest, pornography, etc.? Yes! They, the
non–Christians know what is right and wrong morally and yet they by their lusts
allow uncleanness to rule their lives. We, as a child of God have in us the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit and if allowed will guide us in truth and not in
carnal lusts. As stated, we may have been such as lustful in our unclean
desires that are an affront against our Creator and Holy God; and this by God’s
grace forgiven by God when we repent. Not that we are caught in a sin and are
sorry, no, we fall on our knees and beg forgiveness for we sinned against God
who has saved us and given us eternal life. Yes, it is true that the
consequences of our sin will remain, at least in some fashion due to the
seriousness of the sin; i.e., a cocaine user that has lost the septum of his
nose and now has a hard time to breath, or a man or woman with syphilis, or
AIDS, or any other of the 26 STD’s. Maybe it is the deterioration of a body due
to excess of alcohol, whatever it is God is not and will not remove that
consequence unless by His grace and purpose He does so. We don’t know the will
of God, but we do know He forgives and will still save His child. God is
patient, but don’t mistake His patience for permission. The better consequences
are those due to our obedience to Him.
This
uncleanness by man and the fact that God will not stop them in their lusts will
by God’s allowance allow them to continue in their vile passions: and these
vile passions in this present age can be seen by the prominence of sexuality in
the movies, on TV, in magazines, advertisement, and in the way people dress.
Women showing off their breasts, men wearing clothing, or swimsuits that reveal
their genitals, and they hope and desire by doing such things they can satisfy
their lusts. They even as is being done, homosexuality is presented as natural
and given highlights as being a good thing as can be seen in sitcoms on TV.
Here is what God inspired Paul to write: “For this reason God give them up
to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is
against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful,
and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due”(Romans
1:26–27). Can this be any clearer and plain? Yet, there are some Churches
allow homosexuals (I will not call homosexuality “gay.”) to be pastors, and
leaders, even this unclean group of people force their way into such as the Boy
Scouts, and into the lives of our children. God’s word is not the guide for
those Churches and they have not been true to God and His Son who died for sin
and has plainly spoken to us the truth and the way man is to live. Oh! Yes! It
is love that drives them to be so kind to that which God has clearly condemned.
What kind of love is this? Man love and not God love. The love of God is
plainly stated in the Greek: “άγάπη” which is without doubt a moral and
charitable love and this love is the love of God toward the human race, and it
is His will to His children concerning their attitude toward one another. This
love of God spread in the hearts of man and this love for God is expressed
first of all by our obedience to His commandments: “If you love Me, keep My
commandments” (John 14:15). This love does not give allowance to sin and
not to allow sin to remain in the Church. It is not that we harm physically
those who are caught up in sin and uncleanness, no, we show love to them, a God
love, by telling them the Gospel while at the same time not acquiescing our
hearts to their unclean hearts. It is the Gospel that is needed; it is the
Gospel that opens the heart. It is the hearts of those, who has allowed the
faith given to them to be pushed aside for the attractiveness of sin. The
Gospel will shed the light of truth and draw them out of this darkness.
I will in
the next blogs extend our knowledge as to the uncleanness and its affect upon
society. Until then, pray for God’s guidance, and prepare now to meet with your
brothers and sisters in corporate worship this Sunday.
It is a joy for the just
To do
justice,
But destruction will
Come to the
Workers of iniquity.
Proverbs 21:15
Be wise in the wisdom of God
Richard L. Crumb
No comments:
Post a Comment