LEARNING DAILY

Romans 1:21, 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.

Paul has written that a person may not seek God, but he cannot pretend that he did not have enough evidence about Him. Paul has written that down deep a person knows God; His handiwork is seen everywhere, and I wonder if each person knows he/she is being called (in their heart) to a relationship with Him. However, too often the individual turns away from God, failing to acknowledge and honor Him.

Many people acknowledge a “higher power” but do not allow that belief into their daily lives. Instead, they pursue intellectual achievements, material success, and social status; they neglect spiritual growth. This verse is a challenge for every Believer’s knowledge of God to be reflected in their actions, speech, and attitudes.

This makes me want to know the consequences for rejecting God and His truth. Those who refuse to honor or give thanks to God become confused at how the universe works. Their thinking becomes futile, worthless, useless, vain. This thinking leads to wrong thoughts and conclusions and to darkened hearts. They believe themselves to be wise (verse 22), taking themselves further into a downward spiral of wrong thinking and unrighteousness. It begins with rejecting what is known about God through creation. If He is rejected as Creator, there is no reason to honor Him; false assumptions lead to false conclusions. From this point it only gets worse.

If Jesus does not get ahold of a person’s heart and the downward spiral continues because of greater rejections of God, there comes a time when “God gives them over to the lusts of their heart” (verse 24). Paul writes that God gives them over to three things; first, “in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves” (v. 24), second, “gave them over to shameful lusts” (v. 26), and third, “a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper” (v. 28). At this point it looks like God abandons those who will not recognize nor honor Him to do what they please to dishonor themselves. God no longer gives them His direction or restraint. Being given over to one’s sinful desires is a judgment from God.

Read verses 24-28 for yourself. God gives people over to these things because of the choice to reject Him, because they did not give Him thanks for the truth of His existence and His attributes in creation. The result? Read verses 29-32, “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. 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.” John 3:19, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

Sounds like what we see in this world today! Know this – Jesus still saves the lost today. Only by turning to Him can this downward spiral be broken; people know right from wrong, good from evil. If you know someone who needs Jesus, do not give approval to those who practice these things.” Instead, allow Jesus to help you know how to help them find Him and cleanse them of all unrighteousness.