Paul’s Epistle to the Romans
March 7, 2021
Opening Prayer
Psalm 119
41 Let your steadfast love come
to me, O Lord,
your
salvation according to your promise;
42 then shall I have an answer for him who
taunts me,
for
I trust in your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my
mouth,
for
my hope is in your rules.
44 I will keep your law continually,
forever
and ever,
45 and I shall walk in a wide place,
for
I have sought your precepts.
46 I will also speak of your testimonies before
kings
and
shall not be put to shame,
47 for I find my delight in your commandments,
which
I love.
48 I will lift up my hands toward your
commandments, which I love,
and
I will meditate on your statutes.
Prolegomena
They exchanged the truth about God for a lie.
-
This is important spiritually.
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It is also important for how we conduct our
day-to-day lives.
Live Not By Lies
– Alexander Solzhenitsyn
“When violence intrudes into peaceful life, its face glows
with self-confidence, as if it were carrying a banner and shouting: 'I am
violence. Run away, make way for me — I will crush you.' But violence quickly
grows old. After only a few years it loses confidence in itself, and in order
to maintain a respectable face it summons falsehood as its ally — since
violence can conceal itself with nothing except lies, and the lies can be
maintained only by violence. Violence does not lay its paw on every shoulder
every day: it demands from us only obedience to lies and daily participation in
lies. And this submissiveness is the crux of the matter.”[1]
There is a link to Solzhenitsyn's essay below in the footnote.
Romans 1:26-27
26 For this reason God gave them
up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations
for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the
men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with
passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and
receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
-
Perhaps the most controversial part of this
letter from a human perspective.
-
Biblical Sexual Ethics – God’s design for human
sexuality – is very much under attack in our society.
o
Male & Female?
o
Sexual Preference?
o
Remember Romans 1:18 – ungodliness,
unrighteousness, suppress the truth
o
This is not new.
§
Genesis and sexuality
§
Balaam’s Counsel – Revelation 2:14, Numbers
22-25
-
What happens when God gives humanity what we
want?
o
Fertility Cults – Baal and Asherah
o
Molech – religion of cruel power
o
Violating the context of being a creature who is
created by a loving Creator.
o
Becoming gods
-
How do we respond to a world that is seeing
God’s wrath – and interpreting it as freedom?
Romans 1:28-32
28 And since they did not see fit to
acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what
ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all
manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers,
haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to
parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless,
ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous
decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only
do them but give approval to those who practice them.
-
Notice how early covetousness comes up in this
list. Why might that be?
o
This commandment keeps people from thinking that
they have kept all the commandments when they have, “done or not done the
external act. Therefore, God has added these two commandments in order that it
be considered sinful and forbidden to desire or in any way aim at getting our
neighbor’s wife or possessions.” – Large Catechism, I, 293 on the 9th
and 10th Commandments
o
These commandments force us to look at our
internal motivation, and not merely our external actions.
-
Inventors of evil – one who thinks of new ways
to do evil
-
Though they know … He is speaking to us in the
church
o
1 Peter 4:17 – It is time for judgement to begin
at the household of God ….
o
There is an expectation behind this that the
Christian’s behavior changes in light of our salvation.
o
There is also a warning here of what happens
when Christians refuse to change their attitudes and behaviors … when we refuse
repentance.
-
Do and approve
o We should not live by lies.
Homework
-
Read Live
Not By Lies by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
C Check out these Podcasts from Jeff and Stacey Mallinson from Protect Your Noggin: On the Ravi Zecharias scandal - https://www.protectyournoggin.org/podcast/lessons-from-the-ravi-zacharias-scandal-with-steve-baughman and On Logical Fallacies - https://www.protectyournoggin.org/podcast/informal-fallacies-in-the-popular-defense-of-ravi-zacharias
-- Have a conversation about something that you learned, remembered, found important about Romans.
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If you felt that this was worth your time,
invite someone to join the study, or share a recording of the study via email
or social media. (An email will go out after it has been posted.)
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Check out the church’s redesigned website. www.gloriadeihudson.org Go to the About
tab and scroll way down to Recommended Sites (below the staff
pictures) and click on Pastor’s Blog. This is the place to
find handouts and audio recordings of our sessions.
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