Episode 11: Romans 2:1-5

In this episode, I walk through Romans 2:1-5. This passage is one of my favorites because Paul essentially slams the religious who were placing themselves as the judges of who was righteous and who was unrighteous. This passage is fun because Paul’s central message here is that no person can act as if they are without sin which means they cannot act as a judge for if they did they would be a hypocrite judge making them worthy of judgement themselves.

“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.” Verse 1

Anytime we see the word , “therefore,” we must look back to the previous verse to see what Paul is referencing. In this case, Paul is referencing verses 26-32 which Paul essentially made a case that all people are guilty of some sort of sin. He leaves humanity with no excuse for their sinfulness and places the blame on us for desiring sin over God. In continuation with this thought, Paul says to the religious who were acting as if they were worthy judges of people and he says, “you are hypocrites!” Because they judge others while being guilty of the same practices, they have brought on judgement to themselves. Paul is not okay with people hiding behind false righteousness acting as if they are more worthy than others around them.

“We know that the judgement of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.” Verse 2

The Bible teaches that God’s standard for righteousness is perfection. There is no one that has lived, lives now, or will live that will be perfect in every way. Our imperfection leaves all of humanity up for judgement. Paul teaches that all sin, small or great, is condemned. Paul, in verse 2, reminds the Roman readers that God’s judgement will surely fall on ALL who practice evil including those who act like they are better than others or who hide behind a false righteousness. Paul teaches that God’s judgement is the only perfect judgement that exists and that it will come to all who practice evil.

“Do you suppose, O man— you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself— that you will escape judgement? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Verses 3-4

Paul’s primary audience for this passage was the Jewish people who had, in the past, experienced God’s kindness and forbearance and patience. They experienced it in the past so they assumed that they would experience it again giving them reason to believe that they would somehow escape the final judgment of God. Paul is explaining that God’s patience and kindness in the past was meant to lead them to repentance and right living yet it didn’t. They still lived hypocritical lives while acting as they were perfect. Paul is showing them how irrational and stupid their assumption was by asking, “Did you not see that God showed you kindness so that you would change and start living right?”

“But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed.” Verse 5

Paul tells the Roman readers that their hard hearts disguised as false righteousness is storing up wrath for the day of judgement. Not only have they sinned but they have also acted as righteous judges of those who sin which as brought them more judgement. Paul is saying that their hard hearts will not be left unjudged but quiet the opposite will be true. The religious will be judged for their hard hearts.

In summary, Paul is arguing that there is no one who can act as a righteous judge outside of God himself. All have sinned and brought judgement on themselves including the religious who act like they are without sin. The religious who have judged their peers with hard hearts are storing for themselves wrath on the day of judgement. Paul’s central idea here is that no one is good enough nor should anyone act like they are good enough. We are all sinners in need of grace which leaves us no excuse to judge our fellow peers. As we continue in Romans 2, Paul will continue to break down the false righteousness of the religious and bring a clear view of true righteousness in the sight of God.

Episode 10: Romans 1:28-32

In this episode, I walk through Romans 1:28-32. This passage is one of many passages that clearly communicate that there is more than just sexual sins. Paul is going to list out a vast number of different sins for the purpose of showing that ALL people have sinned. Paul is laying out their baggage so they can see that they are without excuse and ultimately that they need grace and forgiveness from God. The central theme of this passage is that humanity has not only turned away from God but as also fully immersed themselves in the things that God despises.

“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.”

Verse 28

This is meant to be the real heartbreaker of this passage. They did not acknowledge, worship, follow, believe in God so He gave them over to that which they desired. The tragedy in verse 28 is the result of humanity turning away from God leaves God with no other decision but to separate Himself from humanity. The Bible talks about God as holy and perfect; a being so holy that He cannot be in relation with unrighteousness. There is a clear separation between humanity and God, thus making this not only tragic but seemingly hopeless. Paul’s intent of this verse is to try and get them to see this tragedy and to start to lay the groundwork to explain the grace that comes through Jesus Christ.

“They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” Verse 29-31

Verses 29-31 are meant to shine a light on all the things that go against God’s decrees. This is especially important to have added these verses to show that there is more than just sexual sins as mentioned in verses 26 and 27. These verses do not leave room for anyone to go without fault. These few verses can be summed up by Paul’s saying in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

“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.” Verse 32

Paul’s claim in verse 32 is that humanity not only does what God clearly hates but does it knowing that it is wrong. This is to say that humanity does not sin in ignorance but rather fully knowing that it is against God’s perfect decrees. They know these actions, behaviors, intentions deserve condemnation yet they still do them. Not only do they do them, they tell others that it is okay to do them as well!

In summary, Romans 1:28-32, lays the framework for grace to enter the picture by establishing that there is a separation between God and humanity which results from our desire for sin over our desire for God. Paul leaves all of humanity to blame for this separation which sets up this much needed foundation for how he is going to introduce grace in the upcoming chapters. If Paul’s message stopped at verse 32, this would be utterly hopeless but thankfully Paul will continue is teaching in the upcoming chapters that will leave the readers with an abundance of hope and joy. Chapter 1 is now done; let’s move on to chapter 2 in the days to come!

One of the greatest tragedies is when a leader has perfected the art of serving others while simultaneously neglecting themselves. The surest way to be an effective leader is by taking the time to prioritize your faith and personal development. The healthier you are the healthier you will be for the people around you.

In this episode, I walk through Romans 1:26-27. This passage and the one to follow are passages that most people skim over or ignore all together. It’s important for us to both stay true to the text and understand what Paul is writing here. There is zero doubt that Paul is staying consistent with the Old Testament writings by stating that homosexuality and other sexual sins are in direct disobedience with God’s design for mankind. The Old Testament and New Testament view of sexuality is that God created man and women to join together in a lifelong covenant of marriage, and that sex is a gift to only be enjoyed within the confines of marriage.

Not only is Paul staying consistent with the entirety of Scripture but he is also bringing the Roman reader back to the central idea of Romans 1 which is that their is a serious heart issue. Sin is not only external but rather a full out heart problem. The point of this text is to bring them back to the truth that they have completely abandoned their relationship with God and embraced the ways of this world instead. Pauls focus of Romans is to put a mirror up in front of the Roman readers in hopes that they would see their sin, repent, and live lives for the glory of God instead of self. This is Paul’s heart in this passage.

In verse 26, Paul states, “Therefore God gave them up to dishonorable passions.” This is not saying that God forced them into these dishonorable/sinful passions but rather He has let them live in their sin. This is not God being evil, He is simply letting them pursue what they are already pursuing. He is giving them up to THEIR desires. It is our sin that condemns us and our choices that show what we worship. God’s desire is for us to desire Him, trust Him, follow Him, and ultimately submit to His Lordship in our lives.

In this episode, I walk through Romans 1:24-25. In this passage, Paul is continuing his thoughts on idolatry. We must remember that in verses 18-23, Paul says that the people have chosen to worship creation rather than the creator. Verses 24-25 are a continuation with this thought. Paul hits the Romans with the first of his three times that he says God gave them up. This passage focuses in on the idea of impurity caused by idolatry. Idolatry is the worship of something other than God.

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,” Verse 24

Each time Paul states that God gave them over to their sin, the issue at hand is idolatry. The refusal to make God the center and priority of their life made them impure. Impurity, in this text, means contaminated or infected. Paul is essentially saying that their sin and idolatry has contaminated them thus God has given them over to their sins. This text is not saying that God made them impure or made them sin but rather that humanity has chosen idolatry which has made them impure. The gut wrenching reality is that Paul is saying God let them have what they wanted even though what they wanted was bad for them. It is a very important thing to note that the New Testament is clear that God does not tempt nor does He cause anyone to sin. Sin is man’s doing and Paul is saying that God let them have what they wanted.

“Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

The idol worshippers, the sinful people Paul is referring to, have contaminated themselves by disobeying God and worshiping false gods. The issue is not the external sins they are committing but rather the internal turning from God and embracing of false gods. Paul is saying that God has given them over to their own desires because they have traded in the truth for a lie. They have forsaken God so God let them walk in their foolishness. This is an expression of man’s freedom and their inclination to choose sin over following God.

In this episode, I walk through Romans 1:21-23. The center focus of these verses is the topic of worship. Paul is explaining the reality that people worship creation rather than the creator. They know and even acknowledge the existence of God yet they worship false gods instead. We must remember that the previous verses, Romans 1:18-20, Paul tells the Roman churches that creation is the proof of God so no one has an excuse to not believe in God. In this text, Paul continues that thought by explaining the sin of idolatry, the worship of something other than God.

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Verse 21)

They knew who God was yet they did not honor or praise Him. They saw His goodness and glory in creation yet they did not live for Him. They had a multitude of reasons to believe in God yet they have chosen not attribute to God the glory He deserves. Paul says this is a result of their futile thinking and foolish hearts.

“Claiming to be wise, they became fools,” (Verse 22)

The Roman culture boasted, often, of their intelligence. Paul is essentially saying that regardless of your intelligence, your disobedience to God makes you a fool. This word fool is from the Greek word moros which is where we get the word moron from. Charles Swindoll defines moros as, “mentally sluggish to the point of being morally worthless in heart and character.” the greatest sign of a foolish person is the person who knows and acknowledges the existence of God yet neglects Him in their day to day life, continuously living in disobedience. Their intelligence who not be enough.

“,and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Verse 23)

It was very common in Roman culture to have household gods in their homes. In addition to household gods, it was very common to have altars set up to pagan gods. These gods were often images of half human/half animal type gods. They were physical images of false gods. Paul is saying that people know and acknowledge God’s existence, the true God, yet they don’t worship or honor Him and instead worship false gods. They have exchanged the immortal for the mortal and the Creator for the creation. This is why Paul says this is foolish! This entire text is playing on the truth that regardless of the intelligence you claim to have, neglecting to obey, follow, and trust God, you are a fool.

In this episode, I break down three verses talking about the wrath of God, general revelation, and the reason people have no excuse for sin. This passage is one of many passages in the New Testament that talks about the wrath of God.

I hope that this episode helped you answer some difficult questions you might have had about the wrath of God. We will continue to look at this topic in the days to come.

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In this episode, I break down two of Paul's most well known verses. This passage is often quoted but what did it mean to the Roman churches reading Paul's letter?

The Gospel was Paul's source of confidence because of what it did in his life. He explains that this Gospel is why he is unashamed because of the power it carries. This text is a fun text to study for both non-believers and believers.

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In this episode, I talk about Paul's thanksgiving and longing for the Roman churches. Paul is thankful for their faith and how it is spreading throughout the world. In addition to thanking God for their faith, Paul also expresses his deep desire to go and join the Roman churches.

In this episode, I talk through Paul's salutation to the Roman churches. This greeting is the longest of any of Paul's greetings. In this greeting, Paul references his apostolic authority, Jesus as the promised Messiah, Jesus as center of his message, his mission to all the nations, and a prayer of peace and grace for the Roman believers.

This greeting sets us up perfectly for our reading tomorrow. Please make sure you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. I look forward to hanging out with you tomorrow.

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