Romans 1:32 - and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
Message: The sin among us reminds us we are all guilty before God.
Time: Written sometime in AD 57-58, probably from Corinth, at the end of Paul's third missionary journey
What the Lord is Saying:
It is interesting to pause and look at the past 31 verses before looking at verse 32.
Paul begins in this first chapter with a 7 verse introduction. He acknowledges that he is a bond-servant, called as an apostle and he is set apart for the Gospel of God. He clearly puts forth that his calling in life is to bring about faith among all people. Faith is the precipice of all he does.
From verses 8-15 he addresses the people in Rome that he is writing, thanking them for their faith and that their faith is contagious. As an ambassador of faith and truth, Paul is encouraged through the reports that these people are bringing forth truth in their life, evident by their fruit. He is praying for them and would love to see them, but irregardless the gospel is shining forth.
In verse 16-17 Paul turns a corner to once again define the message that must go out to every person. The message is man can be righteous before God. Being righteous has everything to do with God and nothing to do with ourselves. There is nothing in these verses that speaks of man doing something for it is completely the power of God. The message is entirely what God has done.
So, the flip side of being righteous is being unrighteous. But, how does man get to this point? Well, it is not that man begins life apart from God, is then educated and then rejects God. What Paul shows is God is there even in our beginning. Truth is evident in a persons life and gets suppressed (verse 18). God's power is clearly testified through everything we see and experience in our lives (verse 20). Man begins with God and then as God sees that man does not place God at the center, God is content to give people over to that which they want -- their idols.
Verses 18-32 is a progression from wholly God to wholly man. Beginning with not having a thankful heart for the things of God (verse 21), man progressively falls away and in turn, joins forces with evil. These verses chronicle the demise of man and the horrific story of man living without God.
But the Christian can also read these descriptions of sin because though the Christian has been declared righteous by God, the Christian is still a sinner and still susceptible to being a companion of sin. And so while the picture is clearly of the rejector of God, the Christian needs to look at these sins to remind oneself that this is not who they are now in Christ and not what should be in their life. I am to be about only the things of God. And there is nothing of God in these verses.
Verse 32 is the culminating thought. After the list of sins in 29-31, and even the last sin mentioned, having no compassion for your fellow man, Paul declares and reminds the saved and unsaved that the real danger part of our lives is not simply being a sinner, but it is approving of sin. People know what is right. And yet we call right wrong and we call wrong right. We all do it. And just as the Gospel message began the chapter, I am once again reminded in verse 32 of the overwhelming need of the Gospel because although I am in Christ, I am evil. I am a sinner. I need a Savior, not just once but everyday of my life. Because even in Christ, I dance with sin. I am susceptible to sin because it is living and active in this world and my exposure to it is constant.
In some ways it is a sobering and horrible picture of the Christian. Though every person knows the ordinance of God, the Christian clearly can understand over and over that unrighteousness deserves death, and yet the mark of the Christian is all to often approving evil. The ugliest people on earth are often Christians. We love to stand and say how we are not like.....whoever. But, the reality is we are still sinners. The only difference in us is we have been declared righteous.
I will continue to sin and so I will continue to need a Savior. I will continue to need to be saved from myself. My life is to be about bringing about faith in people's lives. And that message has nothing to do with man making himself to be righteous because man is simply not righteous no matter how hard man might try. Unrighteousness is always a part of the life of a person. Let me declare the message of Jesus over and over to people's lives. Jesus saves.
Paul begins in this first chapter with a 7 verse introduction. He acknowledges that he is a bond-servant, called as an apostle and he is set apart for the Gospel of God. He clearly puts forth that his calling in life is to bring about faith among all people. Faith is the precipice of all he does.
From verses 8-15 he addresses the people in Rome that he is writing, thanking them for their faith and that their faith is contagious. As an ambassador of faith and truth, Paul is encouraged through the reports that these people are bringing forth truth in their life, evident by their fruit. He is praying for them and would love to see them, but irregardless the gospel is shining forth.
In verse 16-17 Paul turns a corner to once again define the message that must go out to every person. The message is man can be righteous before God. Being righteous has everything to do with God and nothing to do with ourselves. There is nothing in these verses that speaks of man doing something for it is completely the power of God. The message is entirely what God has done.
So, the flip side of being righteous is being unrighteous. But, how does man get to this point? Well, it is not that man begins life apart from God, is then educated and then rejects God. What Paul shows is God is there even in our beginning. Truth is evident in a persons life and gets suppressed (verse 18). God's power is clearly testified through everything we see and experience in our lives (verse 20). Man begins with God and then as God sees that man does not place God at the center, God is content to give people over to that which they want -- their idols.
Verses 18-32 is a progression from wholly God to wholly man. Beginning with not having a thankful heart for the things of God (verse 21), man progressively falls away and in turn, joins forces with evil. These verses chronicle the demise of man and the horrific story of man living without God.
But the Christian can also read these descriptions of sin because though the Christian has been declared righteous by God, the Christian is still a sinner and still susceptible to being a companion of sin. And so while the picture is clearly of the rejector of God, the Christian needs to look at these sins to remind oneself that this is not who they are now in Christ and not what should be in their life. I am to be about only the things of God. And there is nothing of God in these verses.
Verse 32 is the culminating thought. After the list of sins in 29-31, and even the last sin mentioned, having no compassion for your fellow man, Paul declares and reminds the saved and unsaved that the real danger part of our lives is not simply being a sinner, but it is approving of sin. People know what is right. And yet we call right wrong and we call wrong right. We all do it. And just as the Gospel message began the chapter, I am once again reminded in verse 32 of the overwhelming need of the Gospel because although I am in Christ, I am evil. I am a sinner. I need a Savior, not just once but everyday of my life. Because even in Christ, I dance with sin. I am susceptible to sin because it is living and active in this world and my exposure to it is constant.
In some ways it is a sobering and horrible picture of the Christian. Though every person knows the ordinance of God, the Christian clearly can understand over and over that unrighteousness deserves death, and yet the mark of the Christian is all to often approving evil. The ugliest people on earth are often Christians. We love to stand and say how we are not like.....whoever. But, the reality is we are still sinners. The only difference in us is we have been declared righteous.
I will continue to sin and so I will continue to need a Savior. I will continue to need to be saved from myself. My life is to be about bringing about faith in people's lives. And that message has nothing to do with man making himself to be righteous because man is simply not righteous no matter how hard man might try. Unrighteousness is always a part of the life of a person. Let me declare the message of Jesus over and over to people's lives. Jesus saves.
Promise: Man is a sinner. Even in Christ, man is a sinner.
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