“For [God does not overlook sin and] the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who in their wickedness suppress and stifle the truth…” (Romans 1:18 AMP)

Hence…the reason Paul expressed why he had no shame or hesitation in declaring the gospel of Christ, giving this reason: “ …for it is the power of God for salvation [from His wrath and punishment] to everyone who believes…” (16)

The gospel, or ‘good news’… that Jesus came preaching teaches us how we might be ‘saved from the wrath of God’, and it begins with ‘repentance’ (Mark 1:15; Matt. 4:17). You might also underline that part where it states it is the ‘power of God for salvation’, with that word ‘power’ implying a super-natural or miraculous working power. Care to guess why we might need such a ‘power’? How about in order to set us free from the power of Satan and sin? (Acts 26:18; 2 Tim. 2:25-26)

I mean really…it’s pretty simple and quite profound to think we could have such a ‘power’ made available to us where we could actually walk in such a freedom…to ‘go and sin no more’. Or, as John put it…those who ‘abide in Him ought to be walking as Jesus walked’. (1 John 2:6; 3:6; 5:18).

But if we fail to truly ‘repent’…then we will perish, period. Jesus told us that in Luke 13:3,5. And it’s not the will of God for any….to perish, but for all to come to repentance’ (2 Pet. 3:9). Truth be told…it is a ‘command’ given by God as He no longer ‘ignores’ or turns a blind eye to our ignorance (Acts 17:30). Back in our passage in Romans 1, Paul states that we are ‘without excuse’ (20).

Now I realize that many people point to Romans 1 to prove how God has it in for all the homosexuals, based on vs. 24-27, but when Paul writes in vs. 18 that God’s wrath is coming on “ALL…ungodliness…and ALL…unrighteousness…” He is not just singling out anyone who is involved with that practice of sin. Take a look at all the other ‘fruit’ that a depraved mind leads to in vs. 28-31. He is including things like envy, strife, deceit, gossips and backbiters (slanderers)…people who are proud or boastful… disobedient to parents, haters of God…untrustworthy, heartless…unmerciful…

You might jot down next to that list - Galatians 5:19-21, where we see a similar list there pointing out the ‘evident deeds of the flesh nature’…with a sobering reminder that ‘those who continue to live like this will NOT…inherit the kingdom of God’.

Now here’s the part in Romans 1 that is easy to miss, or read over and fail to comprehend: We ‘know the righteous judgment of God’…and ‘those who practice such things (just listed) are deserving of ____________? (vs. 32). Can you fill in the blank, please? And not only those who practice those things…but those who ‘approve of those who do as well’.

Then, Paul doubles down on this in the next paragraph (2:2)…writing: “we know that the judgement of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. He even poses the question in vs 3, asking: “Do you think you will escape the judgement of God for doing these things…especially after passing judgement on others who do the same?

Have you ever been around those type of ‘Christians’ who want to rail against all the gay folks…threatening them with God’s judgement…but they themselves are just as guilty of practicing lots of those ‘other sins’. Seems I recall Jesus talking one time about ‘removing the plank from our own eyes first…’ (Matt. 7:5).

But now take a look at Romans 2:4 where we are told that it is God’s ‘kindness/goodness …that leads us to repentance.’ Yes, the word ‘repent’ means to ‘turn from’, but God is not just telling us to ‘stop sinning!’. He knows we are incapable of doing that on our own, which is why we have to first ‘come to Him’…and then begin to continually abide in Him that we might find the life and freedom we yearn for…and desperately need (John 5:40; 15:1-8). Yet, as we see in various places…many are simply ‘unwilling’ to come to Jesus. (John 3:19-20, 5:40; Matt. 23:37)

And when we refuse to come to Him…the result is a hardening of the heart, which Paul explains is the quickest way to ‘storing up wrath’ that will be revealed or brought to light in due time (Romans 2:5-13). That is, after all…what ‘sin’ continues to do - it hardens us (Heb. 3:12-13) and we begin that gradual ‘drifting away’ (Heb. 2:1). And yet…how many of us have been conditioned to believe over the years…that we would always remain ‘wretched sinners saved by grace’…and that we would ‘always sin on this side of heaven’? But no need to worry because Jesus loves us and died for all our past, present, and future sins’, right?

So explain Ephesians 5:6-7 then, where Paul cautions us about listening to ‘empty words’. Tomorrow, Lord willing…we’ll examine more closely what those ‘empty words’ often sound like. You’ll recognize them easily…given they’ve been around for a long time. “You surely shall not die.” (Gen. 3:4).