From a Message Preached by Dr J Stewart Gillespie on: Romans Chapter 1 vs 18 to 32: 'The Descent of Man' : The whole of humanity is examined in this section, under the scrutiny of a righteous and Holy God:

1. Rotten Sinner (1:18-32)
2. Self-Righteous Sinner (2:1-16)
3. Religious Sinner (2:17-3:20)

Each group has their light, not the gospel as we know it, but light none the less for which God holds them accountable and responsible:

1. Rotten Sinner (1:18-32) - has the light of creation
2. Self-Righteous Sinner (2:1-16) - has the light of conscience
3. Religious Sinner (2:17-3:20) - has the light of law or covenant

Then the conclusion is drawn, often quoted outwith the context of Romans, in which the Spirit of God and the apostle Paul has invested much time and effort proving the truth of the statement:

"For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God" (3:23)

There is only one way of salvation and one way back to God (1:16-17) Over the years and generations God has given humanity every opportunity to try the options:

1. A perfect environment - Eden (Gen chps1-3)
2. A perfect education - Adam and Eve left Eden with the "knowledge of good and evil", now 'enlightened' with their new enlightenment would this prove the way back to God?
3. A perfect organisation - The law with legislation on human government, worship, contract, families, relationships, marriage, business, farming and even health!

All of these means have failed

There is only one way back to God: Justification by faith (1:16-17; 3:21) Perhaps very often this pattern that is true of humanity as a whole, down through many generations is worked out often times in the individual lives of men and women:

1. Start in infancy in innocence (Jer19:4; Jonah 4:11; Matt18:1)
2. Move to self confidence and knowledge and education
3. Progress to the organisation of religion / a system / a method
4. By grace finally arrive at the only means of salvation: justification by faith

In Romans chp 1 man sinks deeper and deeper into sin and degradation:

“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts... For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:... And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” (Rom 1:24-28)

1. "God gave them up" (1:24)
2. "God gave them up" (1:26)
3. "God gave them over" (1:28)

Man is able to fall deeper into sin and degradation There are many ways down There is only one way up and out: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Eph 2:6)

Romans Chp1 vs 16 - 28 :

1. Revelation of the Righteousness of God (v16-17)
2. Reasons for the Wrath of God (v18-20)
3. Results of the Rejection of God (v21-28)

• Every refusal of God followed by a removal from God
• Every rejection of God followed by a response form God
• Every step away from God followed by a stoop further into degradation
• Every wrong decision followed by consequent disaster

The "wrath" of God is here 'revealed' in the present tense. How is His wrath presently revealed?

By: "handing sinners over to themselves" (John Stott):

1. "God gave them up" (1:24)
2. "God gave them up" (1:26)
3. "God gave them over" (1:28)

Sometimes the worst words we can hear form God is: 'that's fine, have it your way,' that's what we ant isn't it? To do it our way? To be our own boss? From this subject arises another question - is God righteous in revealing His wrath upon sinful men and women? Do men and woman really deserve it? This section begins with the revelation of the wrath of God against man (1:18) This wrath is in response to, proportionate response to and appropriate type for type response to the decisions made by man. This section presents a 4 fold rejection of Gods revelation:

Worship of God (v18) "ungodliness" : “ἀσέβεια” : literally 'unworshipfullness' So why is God angry with us? Why is His wrath revealed? Surely we haven't done anything, have we? At least many seem to be under the impression that individually whilst we may have our faults and failings, hell is most certainly for someone else and well our life is lived to a pretty high standard and we surely haven't done anything, have we? Gods first condemnation in Romans 1:18, Gods first reason for wrath is: "you haven't done anything"! "ungodliness" : “ἀσέβεια” : literally 'unworshipfullness' A failure to worship God God expects to be Central to and He expects to be Sovereign over my life Not just to be an accessory or an appendage to my life! The testimony of creation is intended to leave me awe struck before the creator and to bow my heart and my head in worship! Indulgent in life but ignorant of the life giver. Delighting in creation but despising the creator. The worship of God is righteously and reasonably expected / demanded by the creator God. In refusing to worship God man rejects the work of God. God is not looking for man to simply believe in God: consider the strange repetition of Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 - repeated almost word for word - unbelief in God is foolish: "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19 God is not looking for us simply to believe in Him but rather God expects our 'worship' - that is a response of heart and of life whereby we are humble before Him: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God." (Micah6:8) "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isa57:15) Worship begins by living out my life subject to the God of creation who is absolute and sovereign over all things including me!

Ways of God (v18)

"unrighteousness" Man rejects not only creations testimony but also consciences testimony : “who hold the truth in unrighteousness” - the truth is held in an atmosphere of unrighteousness. The truth shines gloriously even in the darkest moments of man's rejection of God! As man attempts to live an unrighteous life, man's unrighteousness is a constant testimony to the fact that there is a standard he has fallen short of! Ravi Zacharias in his book recounts the testimony of the conversion of one atheistic philosopher to Christ. It was studying the events of the Nazi holocaust that led this prominent atheist to Christ! It was as he read the stories of the survivors of this holocaust and of how some had risked their lives to help them that he felt compassion and emotions that the old atheistic professor never knew he even had. Studying those days of great evil led that professor to see that these events were set within a moral context! A moral context that he understood and felt deep within himself, intuitively. Good and evil, right and wrong did exist, he knew it, he felt it and the moral discernment between right and wrong was built into humanity. Man's unrighteousness constantly stands testimony to the absolute fact of the Divine truth which it attempts to reject.

Man rejects Gods testimony:

Wisdom of God (v18):

"who hold the truth in unrighteousness"

Works of God (v19-21): Man rejects the testimony of creation: the works of God. Verse 19 presents 2 aspects to this testimony:

1. "In them" (v19) - The testimony of consciousness rather than of conscience which is the subject of chapter 2
2. "unto them" (v19) - The testimony of creation

• "In them" (v19) – Subjective
• "unto them" (v19) – Objective

1. "In them" (v19) - the experience
2. "unto them" (v19) - the evidence

• "In them" (v19) - the appreciation
• "unto them" (v19) - the revelation

God has not only given us the evidence of His eternal power and Godhead but He has provided the keys to interpret and to understand that evidence, the keys of intelligence, enquiry, reason and understanding, cause and logic. We desire to know why and to know the answer and to find and understand the answer CS Lewis: 'unless God created me and created the universe I can think of no reason why I should be able to understand that universe.' A car is a product of the car factory but it has no ability to understand the factory from which it came! Why is there not only a universe and creation but why do I have the desire and the ability to understand?

"Godhead" - difficult word to translate, all that is associated with God Certainly involves:

• Intelligence - God is clever; DNA, life, design, the cell
• Beauty - creation is not a purely mechanical phenomena, marked by colours and attractiveness, birds singing and children laughing and the beauty of the butterfly, fragrance of the rose

As man rejects the

1. worship of God,
2. ways of God,
3. wisdom of God and the
4. works of God,

the "wrath of God is revealed" But they haven't actually heard about Christ? They haven't actually heard the gospel as we know it, have they? They haven't had Gods final testimony: the WORD of God, written and incarnate? Lets examine what we have rejected so far:

1. In rejecting the Creator (Rom1:20) – they reject Christ (John1:3)
2. In rejecting the light of Conscience (Rom1:19) they reject Christ (John1:9)
3. In rejecting the truth (Rom1:25) – they reject Christ (John14:6)
4. In rejecting Divine illumination (Rom1:21) – they reject Christ (John1:9)

If man rejects the

1. worship of God,
2. ways of God
3. works of God and the
4. wisdom of God,

is God then morally obliged to reveal the word of God to them?

Consider the Samaritan woman at the well who was able to discuss God, worship, the temple, as well as Jacob and Moses:

“The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” (John 4:25) – Christ is the fullness and the fulfilment of all revelation and the woman was ready to receive Him. We cannot expect to receive the fullness (Eph1:23) if we reject that which is in part (1Co13:12) We cannot expect to receive the reality if we reject the shadow (Heb8:5; 10:1) How can God speak to someone with their fingers in their ears (Zech7:8ff; Matt11:15ff; 13:9ff; Acts7:57) Surely God must take their fingers out of their ears? But God is looking for willing hearts to be given over to Him! So God moves by convicting and convincing men to take their fingers out of their own ears! What then is the result of revealing the gospel of Christ or the person of Christ to an unbelieving mind and heart? The experiment was done: “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” (John 1:10-11) “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

What are the consequences of this 4 fold rejection of God?

1. Religious Confusion (vs21-22) - from rejecting His Worship
2. Moral Confusion(v23-24) - from rejecting His Ways
3. Creatorial Confusion (v25-27) - from rejecting His Works
4. Intellectual Confusion (v28) - from rejecting His Wisdom

Each deliberate decision made by man is followed by a downward stoop permitted by God One of the worst words a man can ever hear from God is: 'ok have it your way.' Man desperately wants to 'do it my way' and in Romans chapter 1 God lets him! Note that the downward spiritual spiral is at man's instigation God merely confirms man's decision and withdraws restraining grace: Every refusal of God followed by a removal of grace Every rejection of God followed by a response from God Every step away from God followed by a stoop further into degradation Every wrong decision followed by consequent disaster

Religious Confusion(vs21-22) - from rejecting His Worship As a direct result of refusing Gods testimony in creation, refusing to Glorify God and refusing to be 'thankful', they became 'vain' - proud, self centred men who with no God in their life become their own gods! This directly results in "their foolish heart was darkened" Hinduism: worship a half elephant god, monkeys, cows, rats and dogs.

Moral Confusion (v23-24) - from rejecting His Ways Not only now rejecting Gods authority and His worship but making God in their own image! They decided what God would look like They corrupted their view of God, they mocked the image of God! They create their own view of God and consequently live by their own standards Such false religious systems are usually fairly easily spotted - they are created from the perspective of earth, bringing God down to mans level rather than lifting man up to Gods level! Note that Gods response is proportionate, righteous and fair Man has corrupted the image of God (v23) God gives man up to corrupt mans image "to dishonour their own bodies" (v24) 'if it feels good do it'

Creatorial Confusion (v25-27) - from rejecting His Works "worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator" (v25) "God gave them up unto vile affections" Gods response was to allow that very creatorial order to break down in their own married lives, home lives and relationships This was a fair "recompence of their error which was meet" (v27) - in other words - fairs fair In rejecting the Creator and the Creatorial Order which He instituted man forgot that his own existence depended upon this very order! Like the old cartoons of the man sitting in the tree cutting off the branch he is sitting on. Intellectual Confusion (v28) - from rejecting His Wisdom "δοκιμάζω" - 'did not like to' "ἀδόκιμος" - 'reprobate' They rejected God and therefore God gave them over to possess the mind of a God rejecter. Men poured the jelly into the mould - God allowed it to set! Is God righteous in revealing His Wrath against man? Gods wrath is revealed as a step by step response to the decisions man makes! Why does God respect the decisions man makes? Because God cannot both fulfil and not fulfil His Purpose! What is Gods purpose? 2 Fold:

1. Relationship (Eph1:5) - "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will"
2. Resemblance (1 John 3:1ff; Rom 8:29)

God cannot fulfil His Purpose of having men and women conformed to the image of His Son by having them conformed to the image of a machine. To be like Christ, to be conformed to the image of His Son, we must respond to God of our own volition: "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." (Psalm 40:6-8) Hence one of the oldest lessons taught in the Word of God concerning the life of the man or woman of God: “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1Sa 15:22-23) To refuse to do what God tells me to do is a very serious sin indeed – it hits at the very core of what it means to be a believer! Be ruthless in judging disobedience to the Lord and self will in your life. A person cannot be both be born again and converted to Christ and consistently disobedient and self willed – the two are diametrically opposed. To be like Christ cannot come from Divine Compulsion it must come from willing devotion, a response to the love of God in His Son! In election and predestination we see Gods great vision for the true potential of man. We cannot fulfil that vision and potential and simultaneously refuse to fulfil it!

Consider:

1. Gods view of man in creation - Psalm 8
2. Gods elevation of manhood in the incarnation - Phil 2:8; Heb2:11
3. Gods purpose for man in election and predestination - Rom8:29; 1 John 3:1ff

Could man ever fulfil that vision of humanity and simultaneously not only

1. Reject the Worship of God
2. Reject the Works of God
3. Reject the Ways of God
4. Reject the Wisdom of God

but also have an attitude / heart of rejection? Herein lies the problem! If man will not voluntarily submit to the grace of God and respond to the love of God and come under the mercy of God enjoying the salvation of God, then God has no use for, no purpose for and no place for the wilful rejection of Himself in eternity! The acceptance of Gods salvation and repentance must be voluntary, since Gods purpose for man is ultimately to be like Christ - to be conformed to the image of His Son. God created man twice: Out of the dust of the earth – this act of original creation was totally passive on the part of man, we had nothing to do with it. “in Christ” - Gods work in the new creation (2Co5:17) and the new birth (Jo3:3) represents a new and greater work of God (Eph2:10; Phil2:13). In this work however God does not start off with the dust of the ground He works on man with a consciousness and a will. This work of the new creation whilst it is all of God is not passive on man's part. God requires the willing surrender of man's will, man's desire for Christ and man's devotion to Christ (Rev3:20). To be conformed to His image cannot be by compulsion, for the essence of Christ is love and love cannot be by compulsion or it is not love at all but rather duty.

https://graceinchrist.org/romans

Notes from a Message Preached by JS Gillespie on: Romans Chapter 1 Verses 8 to 17 - The Results of the Gospel Vs 1- 7 – The Reality of the Gospel – Confidence of Paul Vs 8-17 – The Results of the Gospel – Converts at Rome Vs 17-32 – Requirement for the Gospel – Condition of Fallen Humanity Vs 1- 7 – The Reality of the Gospel – Confidence of Paul Don't need to understand everything Our faith doesn't lie in the fact that we have answers to all of the possible questions that could be asked but rather our faith is founded upon certainties, we at the moment see through a glass darkly. Vs 8-17 – The Results of the Gospel – Converts at Rome We all need encouragement to keep going especially in gospel work The results of the gospel at the heart of the Roman empire spurned Paul on. Vs 17-32 – Requirement for the Gospel – Condition of Fallen Humanity Why do we need the gospel? Because we are in a terrible state! Vs 8-17 – The Results of the Gospel – Converts at Rome Pauls Prayers (v8-10) Pauls Purpose (v11-14) Pauls Preaching (v15,16) Consider the same pattern in Colossians 4:2,3 of prayer and purpose and preaching. Consider Acts 1:14,21 – Prayer and then Acts 2 Preaching Why the priority of prayer? Consider the following scriptures: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. “ (John 6:44) “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Rom 9:16) If we are serious about evangelism – start with prayer! One of the greatest blessing God can give us is failure, failure in our own strength that we might turn to Him for strength! Consider the pattern of failure followed by faith in:

Abraham (Gen 12) down into Egypt but once up and out of Egypt he gets back to the altar and then rescues Lot

Moses – attempts to deliver the nation in his own strength in Exodus 2 only to then fail and to return to God in Exodus 3:11,14 for His strength

Gideon (Judges 6+7) against a back drop of failure in the nation and repression under the Midianites.

Samson (Judges 16) his greatest victory after his greatest failure

Joshua (Josh 7+8) – The nations failure at Ai followed by success.

Pauls Prayers (v8-10)

Note the 3 different kind of prayers here:

v8 – Thanksgiving v9 – Intercession – on behalf of others, perhaps others who are unable or unwilling to pray for themselves? v10 – Request / Supplication

Pauls Purpose (v11-14)

“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;” (Rom 1:11)

Pauls Preaching (v15,16)

v8 – A Faith Worth Speaking About v9 – A God Worth Serving v9-10 – People Worth Praying For v11-12 – A Gift worth Giving

v8 – A Faith Worth Speaking About: Proven Conversion

Does our testimony talk? Not so much do we talk? We need to of course, but more importantly does our testimony talk?

Consider the testimony of Noah: “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;”(2Pe 2:5) When did Noah preach? Did he actually preach as we would think of it? We don't know but what we do know for certain from the book of Genesis is that he lived out the reality of His relationship with the Lord. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”(Gen 6:8) “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” (Gen 6:22) Was Noah's life his sermon? Was he a living message?

Does our testimony talk? Does our Gospel get Gossiped? Does our salvation speak?

Lives changed by the power of the Spirit of God by faith in the Son of God for the Glory of God is part and parcel of the NT means of evangelism, cf. 1Thess1:8. Once a person has been truly converted and led to Christ they take on a spiritual life independent of the person who led them to the Saviour. Like a child – nurtured and fed but ultimately independent of the parents, a distinct individual with a life of his own. Christianity is not Guru based nor Imam based nor Rabbi based it is centred upon Christ! These believers were a source of praise not a source of problems! The conversion of the Romans not due to Paul nor to man: “thank my God” and “through Jesus Christ.”

v9 – A God Worth Serving: Passionate Commitment

I emphasise the word “worth” - there is much I could serve with my life but it is not “worth” serving! Why is it that when men are presented with something transient and trivial it is so often pursued with such energy and enthusiasm: sports, football teams, pop idols, hobbies and yet when presented with the God, the person of Christ and salvation they treat the things of God with mediocrity and half heartedness!

“with my spirit” Not with “eye service as men pleasers” (Eph6:6) Not to please “itching ears” (2Tim4:3) An all or nothing service! Don't mess about! God takes service personally! God takes a snub personally! God takes mediocrity personally! For the gospel is the “gospel of His Son” It's not just; 'the meeting' nor 'prayer' nor 'hearing the preacher' It is the “gospel of His Son” Today we have: 'gospel meetings' and 'gospel preachers' and 'gospel efforts' and 'gospel hymn books' and 'gospel halls' but do I have a 'gospel heart'?

v9-10 – People Worth Praying For: Prayerful Concern

If they are worth praying for then they are worth keeping praying for (v9b) Your best friends are the ones that pray for you.

A 3 fold prayer: v8 – Thanksgiving – praise and rejoicing v9 – Intercession v10 – Request

The great advancement in the gospel in the NT days was linked with a great burden in prayer, consider 1 Thess, begins with prayer, ends in prayer and in the middle there is a prayer (1Thess1:2; 3:10; 5:17).

Do we ever think at times that some don't need our prayers? Perhaps they need them most: “brethren pray for us,” (1Thess 5:25; 2Thess3:1)

v11-12 – A Gift worth Giving: Prosperous Journey

Cf. Rom12:6 – variety of gifts that he could have imparted It is easy to abuse communications and fellowship 2 Thess 3 and 1 Tim 5:13 – warns of gossiping and unprofitable visiting There is a possible profitable use of our time and communications – to build one another up. Not a gossipy nor a social thing, Paul's vision is much higher than that! To 'establish' them (v11)! Ought to make it our ambition / goal to: 'encourage,' 'help,' and to 'lift up,' someone today! We need to be spiritually in tune for this task: “mutual faith.” Visiting others when we are away from the Lord will generally not be a source of spiritual uplift to anyone! We may prove more of a hindrance! The believer ought not to be someone who: 'Gives a piece of my mind' – rather ought to be one who brings the gospel of peace (Rom10:15; Isa 52:7) 'Tear a strip off of...' - Rather build up and establish us (Rom1:11; 14:20) Not so much insisting on his rights as bearing others wrongs – Rom 15:1-3 'Sort them out...tell them a few home truths' – Not for us to be judging our brothers conscience nor his weaknesses (Rom14:12), the assembly is bound by God of course to judge His sins (Rom14:13) The Roman epistle begins with the attitude of a spiritual man and ends by examining the attitude of the unspiritual man. Examine your motives / words / attitude of heart – is it of the flesh? Of the Spirit? Never underestimate the importance of an encouraging / building up ministry (1Co12:28).

Where are we going? What are we doing? Living with a purpose?

Gods purposes are not always the same as our plans (v13). It is “by the will of God” (v10) God has a definite agenda with evangelism (Acts 8:29; Acts 10:19; 16:7) Paul hindered in his coming to Rome by the gospel work elsewhere (Rom15:22)

https://graceinchrist.org/romans