by Logan Ames
I remember something my dad said constantly when I was first learning to drive a vehicle. He would sit in the front seat and tell me that I always had to be “looking at the big picture,” not just what was right in front of me on the road. The temptation is to look straight ahead at the road because you know that is where your vehicle is headed. But keeping your eyes focused on that one moving spot could cause you to miss some of the other things that could create a hazard. My dad would remind me of what we learned in driver’s education class at school, that I should be rotating my eyes every few seconds to try to see everything. Dad would even ask to see if I saw the school bus up ahead to my left, the people on the overpass above me, and the vehicle entering the highway from a ramp on my right. I was expected to notice these things while also keeping an eye on the conditions and vehicles on the road in front of me. This was difficult at first, but eventually I got used to it and today I do this without even thinking about it. I am able to better judge the actions of other drivers and predict what will happen because I am seeing the big picture.
However, what I refer to as the “big picture” is still very limited. I can only see what is within my range of vision. I might be able to rely on traffic, weather, and accident reports to tell me what is happening in the areas where I am heading, but I am clueless as to what might happen just around the corner in the next twenty seconds. I also don’t know what might be causing others to drive a certain way. They could have an emergency medical need, mechanical problems with their vehicle, or under the influence of a substance. These are all things I don’t know and can’t necessarily avoid. So I have to remember that my “big picture” only goes so far and that I still must trust in the One who has the REALLY big picture to get me where I am going safely.
God’s big picture certainly is not limited to circumstances and events. In Romans 2:1-4, Paul talks about the foolishness of those who appear to have good morals judging others and comparing themselves favorably. Based on context, we can see that Paul had just got done addressing those would be considered “immoral” at the end of chapter 1. These would be the “tax collectors and sinners” that Jesus pursued. In these verses, Paul turns his attention to those who are generally moral. These would be the Pharisees and others like them who puffed themselves up because of their conduct and looked down upon those who were less moral. Paul is clear that if we follow in the steps of the Pharisees and judge those who we think are “worse” sinners than us, we are condemning ourselves (v. 1). The reason for this is obvious: the minute we decide to judge someone else’s actions, we are using a standard greater than ourselves, a standard that judges ALL sin and not just those which are more clearly seen.
Paul then asks the reader several questions designed to make us think in verses 3-4. Why do we judge others? Do we not understand that we are “mere human beings” with limited vision compared to a God whose judgment is based on truth? Do we really think grace is guaranteed to us and that God won’t judge us while we sit and point fingers at other sinners? And do we recognize that God’s goodness toward us is not because we are somehow better than others, but because he is leading us to repentance? These are questions that every believer must answer and we must be diligent about avoiding “the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).
Jesus was the one who spoke those words. He also told “The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector”, which can be found in Luke 18:9-14. In this story, the two men go into the temple together to pray to the same God, but have opposite attitudes. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not as bad as the tax collector and other sinners, then mentioned his good works. In contrast, the horribly immoral tax collector simply asks God to show him mercy and admits that he falls short of deserving it. It is Jesus who declares that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, “went home justified before God” (v. 14a). He then says, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (v. 14b). Which man will you be like?
You and I simply can’t condemn others because we are “mere humans” and do not have the really big picture that God has. You might be appalled at the sinful choices of someone else, but don’t you think God is probably appalled at yours? God knows everything you do and why you do it. He knows why those other sinners in your life are making the choices they are. Remember, he is patient with you because he is leading you to repentance. But he wants the same for others and has no reason to favor you over them. Seriously, think about that. If you were God, and you knew EVERYTHING there is to know about you, would you have any reason to be more merciful toward you than others? The answer is a resounding NO. But God knows your really big picture and can see and understand all of the things that you can’t. I think it’s time we accept his work in others the way we have accepted his work in us. Be encouraging. Be humble. Be loving.
by Bill Seng So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? ~Romans 2:3-4 We always like to see the bad guy get theirs. When they don’t, we get very disappointed and almost blood thirsty. I used to watch big time wrestling and that was one of the tactics they commonly used to draw an audience. They would have one character who was despicable; he would insult the audience, hate our country, and cheat, cheat, and cheat some more. You would always think that the good guy would come and give him a good whoopin’ but sometimes he didn’t. Sometimes the good guy fell victim to the bad guy’s tactics. A more recent example would be the disappointment many suffered this recently with the Super Bowl. The quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson: pure of heart, humble, charitable, and a Christian to boot, versus the quarterback of the New England Patriots, Tom Brady: scandalous, playboyish, cocky, and possibly even a cheater. Right when it seemed like the Seahawks had the game in the bag, a series of strange events occurred to secure a victory for Tom Brady and the Patriots. I’m sure many were furious that such an injustice happened. But wait, injustice? Why do we see such a thing like this as injustice? Probably because we have the same attitude toward our enemies that the prophet Jonah had. Jonah attempted to avoid preaching to the Ninevites because they were his enemies. Furthermore, he knew that if they did not repent of their ways, they would be judged by God and wiped from the face of the earth. What awesome justice that would be for an evil nation that had oppressed your people to face not just justice, but God’s wrath! But then God convinced Jonah to deliver his message to them and they repented. Jonah’s response was, pathetic. “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4:2-3). Jonah had a bad attitude, and you wonder how he could say such an awful thing after God had just delivered the Ninevites from his wrath. But how often do we also wish judgment upon our enemies? I can think back to several instances when I wanted God to act swiftly against violent men. 9/11/2001, the Sandy Hook school shooting, the Boston marathon bombers, and even more recently there was a divide over a shooting in Missouri in which some felt that the family of a shooting victim deserved justice for their son while others felt that the police officer who shot him was in the right. The opening verses of Romans 2 are trying to tell us something. Who are we to judge against those who do not know the LORD? It is okay for us to feel grieved and mortified at the occurrence of evil, and we should even desire justice. But God alone is the judge, and often we do not possess enough details in any given instance to fully understand how an event truly went down. Even if we did, should we not still desire the repentance of the wicked? Paul in Romans 2 and Jonah both acknowledged God’s kindness. God himself, THE JUDGE, did not want to pass judgment on Nineveh and later on in Romans we will see that he does not want to exact his vengeance upon anyone. As our Heavenly Father, he wants to extend mercy to the offender in hopes that he or she will respond in repentance. For us to desire anything less than what God wants for all people is sinful. I have taken an extreme route in unpacking this passage but there is another element to it that I want to comment on quickly. It says that we are guilty of the same sins. I don’t think this means that we are actively sinning in the same ways as those we judge; rather, Paul is reminding us that we are guilty of the same sins regardless. The New Testament sets a high standard when it comes to godly living to the extent where you might not be physically involved in an act of adultery, but by looking upon another person with lust you have committed adultery. We all fall short of God’s glory and are all in need of God’s mercy. So, hats off to you Tom Brady. Enjoy your ill-gotten victory over Hulk Hogan, Rick Flair. The godly will have their day and we need to forgive and pray for our enemies that they too may understand the richness of God’s mercy. His love is incredible; so incredible that if the terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center would have repented and followed Jesus, he would have bestowed his grace upon them as well.
by Katie Erickson
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:1-4)
This passage essentially starts out with the word “therefore,” which makes us ask the question of what is the therefore there for. We need to look at the context for that. In this case, the “therefore” takes us all the way back to Romans 1:18-20. That passage talks about how we’re all without excuse for knowing God; He has revealed Himself to every single person. (See this blog post for more on that.) From there, Paul went on to talk about the sinfulness of humankind, in spite of that fact that we should all know God.
Since we have no excuse for not knowing God and because we as humans are a sinful people, we need to be careful how we judge others. When we condemn others for what we see them doing, in reality we’re condemning ourselves. Why is that?
Here’s a made up situation to help demonstrate this. Let’s say I catch my friend lying about something. Have I ever lied about something? Definitely. When I point out to my friend in an accusing way that she lied, I feel like it puts all the attention on her, and not me, even though I’ve sinned in that same way too. But really, when I judge my friend and speak negatively about what she did, I’ve committed another sin by trying to take over God’s job of being the judge. Judgment is reserved for God, and God alone. So essentially, I not only have committed that same sin, but I’ve committed another sin by judging someone else for doing it too.
This idea is also spoken of by Jesus Himself in Matthew 7:1-2 when He said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” When I condemn someone else, I too am condemned.
If two little kids playing together break something, what happens? Mom comes into the room after hearing the crash, and asks what happened. Both of the kids immediately pipe up and say “He (or she) did it!” Our human nature doesn’t want to take responsibility for our own actions. It’s so much easier to blame someone else, isn’t it? That way we don’t have to face our own shortcomings.
It’s often not easy to take responsibility for your own actions when there have been negative consequences to them. Of course, we all want the responsibility when something good happens! But when a big mistake is made at work that costs the company a lot of money, do you rush to admit that you caused it? When you’re caught doing something you’re clearly not supposed to do, do you enjoy that experience? Of course not! We will all face God’s judgment, and when that happens we will all be forced to take responsibility for our own actions.
God does not want to condemn us. Instead, as this week’s passage from Romans shares, God possesses the character traits of “kindness, forbearance and patience,” and “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (verse 4). Good character and integrity are important, and we need to practice them by being responsible for ourselves. When we condemn others rather than taking responsibility for our own sinfulness, we are showing contempt for God’s character.
Honor God and honor yourself by not judging others, when you yourself are the one who deserves that judgment.
by Ami Samuels
Have you ever been frustrated or discouraged with your prayer life?
There was a time that I was. I had the best of intentions but I often found myself nodding off on God. What I mean by that is, I would climb into bed at night and start to pray, and before I knew it I was asleep and waking up to my alarm. Frustrated, I would hit my snooze button and began to pray again, only to find that I had fallen back to sleep asking myself, “Did I even say amen?”
That was before I discovered prayer journaling. I started my first journal on January 1, 1996. I don’t remember, but I would guess it was a new year’s resolution. It was one resolution that I have actually kept. I have journaled 19 years of my family’s lives along with my prayers and a record of my walk with God.
Donald S. Whitney writes, “The Christian life is, by definition, a living thing. If we can think of the Discipline of Bible intake as its food and prayer as its breath, many Christians have made journaling its heart. For them it pumps life-maintaining blood into every discipline.”
Journaling has allowed me to quietly enter into the presence of God. Writing my prayers has helped me stay focused and committed to prayer, and it allows me to see answered prayers, keep a record of my spiritual journey, and live an examined life.
I have found that journaling has been a wonderful tool for me, but it has also been a way for me to leave a legacy of faith for future generations.
I imagine that some of you are thinking, “Writing isn’t for me,” or, “I don’t have time for that.” I understand because I didn’t think it was for me either, 19 years ago.
Bill Hybels writes in his book Honest to God, “Over the years I have met leaders who have somehow seemed to avoid the daily slide into artificial Christianity. Whenever I could I asked what their secret was. In almost every case, they said journaling, the daily process of examining and evaluating their lives in written form.”
“Now if you think I ran right out and bought a journal, you’re dead wrong,” he says. “I thought the idea was ridiculous. People who had time for that were not like me. They didn’t have my schedule with my kind of pressure. Besides, blank sheets of paper scared me. Still I had to admit that too often I repeated the same mistakes again and again. In a rare moment of honesty, I faced the fact that I was living under the tyranny of an unexamined life.”
Hybels goes on to say, “Finally I understood. The journalers were simply telling me to do a postgame analysis! How could I expect to be conformed to the image of Christ without examining my mistakes and progress? How could I grow without evaluating my character, decision-making, ministry, marriage, and child-rearing? Maybe journaling was for me.”
The first question I get asked about journaling is, how do I start? There are several acronyms out there to help you pray more intentionally, I would like to share the one that I have in my first journal, which is the word pray: P = praise God R = repentance, A = another, and Y = yourself. This is just an outline of sorts to help you on days that you aren’t sure how to begin.
As I was preparing this blog post, I was scanning through my old prayer journals and I read prayers that I prayed for my sons on their first day of school, sleepovers, ballgames, and also for their teen years, college, future spouses, and careers.
My hope is that as you journal your journey, your relationship with the Lord will grow and you will plant seeds of faith for future generations.
by Nathan Buck Something peculiar happens when we find ourselves living a lie. We see gaps, holes in the fabric of the costume, cracks in the mask. Those gaps are where our masquerade doesn’t fit reality, and it is opposite to our real design/nature. People looking closely at the lion in the duck costume (see last week’s post) may see the tail of the lion sticking out, oversized feet, poor floating skills, a bill that doesn’t quite fit over the mouth, etc. If we are that lion, every moment we encounter a gap like this, we have a choice – come clean, or push harder to be seen as a duck. Sadly, most of the time, we will persist in trying to convince people we are the duck. We will do everything we can to be seen as a duck, even work at redefining in the minds of everyone around us what a duck really is. Meanwhile we keep practicing duck like behavior, so the gaps are less and less noticeable. Romans 1:26-32 finishes describing masquerade and where it leads. First and foremost, the more we persist and practice the opposite of our design and identity, the more God will allow us (or give us over) to experience the results of our choice. When we ignore reality, when we ignore the gaps, and we try to redefine the nature of our existence, it is like a fist in God’s face that says, “back off.” And God will let us walk that road, and live those consequences. Why? Could we have true love and relationship with anyone, without the choice not to? Look at what that choice leads to. When we persist against God, and against our design, verses 28-31 describe the results. Our minds become depraved. The Greek word used in verse 28 for “depraved” means “unqualified” and has the root word for “watching.” In essence we could translate this as, “unable to see straight” or “broken in our ability to perceive.” From there, a laundry list of nastiness comes out of us, as we become more aggressively determined to prove God does not exist and His creation is not what it appears. We reject the idea that there are any consequences for our choices, and we continue to practice and rationalize, and we argue to prove our costume is what is real. We gather others around us to help. We even collaborate on how we can all improve our masquerade. We persist and practice everything we can opposite to our design, until finally the duck consumes the lion - at least we think it has. Then in full confidence of having become our imposter, we stand and shout our denial of God and our victory of re-creating ourselves. But God sees no one there. He sees shadow, and mist. The rejection of everything to become something we thought was greater sears our conscience in arrogant denial. What was once intended for great beauty, strength, and purpose, becomes fiction. The never-ending effort to cover over the gaps and resist reality becomes our new purpose. In the end, the myth will consume its author. And I believe, God weeps at the implosion of His children – who settled for less. Who does God see when he looks at you? Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
by Charlie Wolcott
“Therefore measure in terms of five things: use these assessments to make comparisons, and thus find out what the conditions are. The five things are the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and discipline.” ~Sun-Tzu, Chapter 1.
Last week, I taught you about weather: the elements and the seasons that we cannot control in our lives. This week, we will discuss about terrain, the battlefield itself. Sun-Tzu devotes two chapters to this topic. There are six major configurations of physical “terrain” and nine types of social/political terrains. The six major configurations are: accessible, suspended, stalemated, constricted, precipitous, and expansive. The nine social/political types are: dispersive, light, contentious, traversable, focal, heavy, entrapping, encircled, and fatal. It would be worth the time to examine each and every one of these 15 configurations and types of terrain. Each of these types has to do with maneuvering armies and proximity to armies/other nations. I am not going to delve into each one of these, but will rather point out two of each of these configurations and types that stand out.
Of the configuration types, suspended and stalemated terrains are ones we tend to find ourselves in often. Let’s look at each one.
Suspended terrain is where it is easy to get in but it is not so easy to get out. Such terrains could include traversing along canyons or even mountain passes (though that also qualifies as precipitous). It would include marshes or could include forests. Like last week, think of Russia in winter. It was easy for Napoleon and Hitler to get in, but very difficult for them to get out. And both lost. Armies just trying to get from point A to point B will readily go around suspended terrain before going through it, because it would not take much for said army to be ambushed with little means of escape. Those that do will cross it because there is a goal or a target that can only be reached by going through said territory. And some of the best tactics include deceiving the enemy into entering the terrain. A Biblical example of this is the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. When it opened, it was easy for Egypt to get in, but it was not so easy for them to get out.
But there are times where it is advantageous to enter suspended terrain. The enemy doesn’t like going in there either, unless they control it. If they don’t control it, they won’t enter unless there is a need for them to enter it. Look at Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Frodo and Sam, with the aid of Gollum, escape the Emun Muil, a labyrinth of rocks, only to enter the marshes just north of the Black Gate of Mordor. They are able to pass through undetected because the Orcs don’t even bother watching it. They’d rather go around for miles, and that left it open. But getting through required a guide.
Are we travelling through suspended terrain, where it feels like we got into the mess but can’t get out? Often such terrains are traps because the enemy possesses them. Before you enter, scout it out. Find out if you can get out. Get your orders. Remember that Jesus is our General. He knows the landscape. Only enter such terrains under orders.
Stalemated terrain is ground where neither you nor your opponent has a real advantage to holding such a position. Does owning that hill or that field actually make a difference in the overall scheme? Understanding stalemated terrain is very similar to knowing how to pick and choose battles. There is some terrain that is not worth fighting for. There are some hills that are not worth owning, because they do not help you in the overall scheme. Many of us waste time and energy fighting battles that won’t help us. And be careful, because the enemy will entice us to come out and conquer territory they really could care less if you own or not. They will plant forces on that hill, but forces they consider expendable. And here is where it gets tricky. Often these hills they want us to pursue are accessed through suspended terrain. It’s easy to get in and conquer the hill, but once you have it, can you get out? When you choose to fight, is that territory, is that target worth fighting for? Does it help you? And if you take it, does it impact the enemy’s overall goals? How often do we waste time fighting useless battles while the enemy moves on while we are distracted?
Now, let’s look at a couple of the nine types of terrain: contentious and fatal.
In contentious terrain, the principle is simple: whoever owns it has the advantage. This is akin to high ground. In The Hobbit, the Lonely Mountain is contentious terrain. When the dwarves had it, they had the advantage. When Smaug had it, he had the advantage. And then five armies advanced to claim it. It was a key strategic place to control, not just for the wealth that lay inside.
Sun-Tzu tells us not to attack when dealing with Contentious terrain. Why? If you have control, you don’t need to attack. You can defend and the terrain itself will aid you. But if your enemy has it, do not attack there. You need to draw your enemy off and get him to fight elsewhere. We see this from Gettysburg. The Union has the high ground at Cemetery Ridge which General Joshua Chamberland called the best natural defensive position he had ever seen. The Confederates kept charging and charging and charging. The Union, despite being heavily outnumbered and out-armed (at one point they all but ran out of bullets), held their ground because they used the terrain itself to defend them. General Lee could not win at Cemetery Ridge. His best option would have been to retreat, attack Washington DC, and pull the Union off the high ground.
What is the contentious terrain that we have? This is no better seen than in the battle of worldviews. We stand on the Bible as the ultimate authority. That is our high ground. Our enemy wants us to defend our position without the Bible. That’s pulling us off the high ground. You can stand on the high ground you are defending. But remember that the enemy’s high ground is their worldview. Without addressing that issue, any other battle we fight may ultimately end in defeat. You can’t address abortion properly without getting to its root: the devaluing of life by removing the identity of human nature as made in God’s image.
The final terrain we’ll explore here is fatal terrain. It is also known as “death ground.” This is where we are pinned to a place of no retreat and the only option is fight with everything they have or perish. The Normandy Invasion was a battle of death ground. The Allied soldiers had no choice but to push through the hell of Omaha Beach. They had no place to retreat, no fall back plan. It was all or none.
God loves to put us on death ground, because that is where our real skills and abilities are put forth. That is also where we learn and understand that we cannot do it on our own strength. We have to depend on God’s strength. The Israelites faced death ground countless times, and time and time again God delivered them. The only time he didn’t was when they were in judgment. Do you feel like you are on death ground, where you believe you are trapped with no escape? That’s when you need to grip your sword, hold on, and fight with everything you have. This is where you pull out your war cry and pull no stops. Rak Chazak!
So that is a sampling of what kind of terrain we deal with. I hardly gave this topic justice but I do hope it helps you think about your priorities in what battles you choose to fight and to understand what kind of ground you are fighting on or fighting for. Too many times, we walk into terrain we are not supposed to or we avoid the terrain we need to conquer. To know which territories we need to attack, we need to understand the mind and the goals of our General, Jesus Christ. He is the true leader and that is what the next key principle is leadership. Stay tuned for that next week.
by Logan Ames
“I haven’t done anything wrong because it’s not illegal.”
These are the words recently spoken to me at work by a man who found a way to legally do what most of us would consider to be creepy at best and reprehensible at worst. He shared with me that he felt he was being treated unfairly by the court in a custody situation because no one was approving of what he did. His words above were in response to me asking him why he feels people should approve of it. After he spoke those words above, I said, “That may be true, but you and I both know that not everything that’s wrong is illegal”. He continued to argue with me that if what he did was wrong, somebody would have made a law against it. What he failed to mention in this conversation is that there ARE laws put in place to limit or even prevent what this man did, but he simply found a way around them. In this case, the man-made laws were powerless to stop him from doing something immoral and unnatural.
This situation illustrated for me how human beings will find ways to get around every man-made law or standard that there is. But the one standard we can never get around is God’s standard of holiness. As we are continuing to go through the beginning of the Book of Romans, we are seeing clearly that man cannot contend with God’s standard of righteousness on his own and is therefore in need of savior. It’s easy for us to look at what’s happening in Romans 1 and point fingers as if the people are somehow separate from us. But when I look at verses 26-32, I see that there isn’t any difference between some of the things that I’ve done in my life and what many would say are “worse” sins.
First, the Apostle Paul specifically addresses the acts of homosexuality in verses 26-27. Is that because this sin is worse than those that follow in the passage? Absolutely not! And if you are someone who struggles with homosexual desires or even finds yourself engaging in such activities, I encourage you to seek truth, but also read this entire post because you will see that we don’t condemn anyone. We know that we are all unholy without our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ and don’t stand a chance in God’s presence if not for his death and resurrection. We know that if we condemn others, we ourselves would be condemned by the same standards we are using.
That being said, I encourage you to click on the link for those verses above and read verbatim what Paul writes regarding the exchange of “natural sexual relations for unnatural ones”. What does this mean to you? Are you open to an honest discussion about those verses? Why would the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to refer to something that feels normal and natural for many as “unnatural”? Why would he refer to such acts as “shameful” and why would there be a “due penalty”? If these words anger or offend you, please understand that I did not write them. They come directly from the NIV translation of God’s Word. I encourage you to reflect on what God’s heart for you is as you read this passage. In the context of the entire Book of Romans, you will see that these acts are just some of many that cause us to “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and force us to rely on the gift of Jesus as our Savior.
Every human being that has ever walked this earth, except One, has tried to find ways to get around God’s standards. We love to push boundaries to see what we can “get away with”. We speak in the name of “progressive thinking” that science, culture, and history should change what we think about God and his standard of holiness. But the rest of this chapter lists a whole bunch of things that some of us do on a daily basis, then says, “Those who do such things deserve death” (v. 32). That makes our God sound very harsh and unreasonable, but the fact of the matter is that Paul says this started with a disinterest in retaining the knowledge of God (v. 28). In other words, progressive thinking is exactly what got them into this mess! If they “did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God”, that means they once had it. Somewhere along the line, they decided that what they wanted to do and what made sense to them was of greater value than the knowledge of God.
For those out there who point the finger at homosexuals or others who do things that maybe make you personally uncomfortable, you must humbly acknowledge that you are no different if you’ve ever committed any of the sins listed in verses 29-31. These would include greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, arrogance, boasting, and disobeying your parents! Wow! At first glance, you might wonder why all of these seemingly “minor” things are listed alongside MURDER. While different actions carry different earthly consequences, God’s Word is clear that all sin is deserving of death and leads us straight to it! If you’ve so much as gossipped about another human being or disobeyed your parents, you have not kept God’s standard of holiness and you need to depend on Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Paul also says in v. 30 that these people who once had the knowledge of God “invent ways of doing evil”. That pretty much puts to rest the excuse of “well it’s not directly addressed in the Bible so I guess it isn’t sin”. Our society and even our laws will continue to change to accept certain things that are against the knowledge of God, but his standard will not and cannot change. The good news is that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, if you’re reading this blog that means you are still alive. And if you’re still alive, you have hope and can receive the free gift of salvation offered to you by Jesus, who walked the earth just as we do yet was able to bear that standard of holiness as God in the flesh. Don’t reject him and continue on the path to a certain death. Accept him as both Savior and Lord and let him restore your desires for the knowledge of God and give you victory over all other desires!
