Sunday sermon: "The Truth About Humanity"

We often go to the Bible to find passages of great beauty and comfort. At the same time, we recognize that there are many ugly passages in Scripture. Romans 1:21-32 is one of those passages. Charles Spurgeon felt this way about this passage: "This first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans is a dreadful portion of the Word of  God. I should hardly like to read it all through aloud; it is not intended to be so used. Read it at home, and be startled at the awful vices of the Gentile world."* Preparing for this sermon was challenging, due to the necessity of thinking about what this passage says.

Here Paul gives us the picture of humanity on its own, fallen and apart from God. It is not a pretty picture. It flies in the face of all our world wants to believe about humanity. It is not politically correct. Yet it is the truth about us, and unless we are prepared to face that truth, we cannot understand why our world is the way it is.

In the world today, we are taught that people are really good at heart, and if we just fix whatever is wrong with our world (and many groups have conflicting ideas as to what that is!) we can have love, peace, and harmony. Unfortunately, that just doesn't natch reality. We don't have to teach our children to be selfish and sinful; we have to teach them to be selfless and good. The morning news shows us what people throughout the world are really like. Reality is that we are sinful, selfish, and as a result hopeless.

Following his discussion of general revelation, and his declaration that everyone is "without excuse," Paul shows us the result of the suppression of the truth about God. Since people do not want to acknowledge God, they set up something else in His place. In Paul's time, this could be an idol, or maybe Caesar or the "genius of Rome," or even Greek philosophy. Everyone has something that drives their life, and whatever that is stands in the place of God. Only God Himself belongs there.

Ultimately, rejecting God leads us to put ourselves in His place. We seek after whatever we feel will "fulfill" us. We look toward our own advancement. We engage in those activities that we find pleasurable, regardless of their consequences. We, the creature, take the place of the Creator.

As a result, God takes action. In one of the most frightening verses of Scripture, Paul writes, "And because they did not think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong." (Romans 1:28) In essence, God gives the rebellious sinner what he or she wants-control of their own life. The values and practices sought are those that satisfy a craving. 

In the end, justice will be served. From nature and conscience we learn of a powerful and wrathful God, but without Jesus we have no recourse. Paul will deal with this further along in Romans, but we can't close without hope. The judgment of God is a spur to us to acknowledge Him and to seek Him. Through Jesus Christ we can find salvation, and be made right with God. Only through Him can we avoid being the kind of people we see here in Romans 1. What is your future-serving yourself, or serving your Creator?

*Spurgeon quote from “Inexcusable Irreverence and Ingratitude,” May 22, 1892 (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Vol. 38)