God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
That pretty much sums it up, and what we find reading word for word from Romans 1:18-32 (NLT); and who dare offer up credible discourse to discredit such clarity?
In Chapter of Romans 2:1-4, in addressing God's judgement of sin, the Apostle Paul says:
You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
When, Paul says, "you have no excuse,' he is addressing boldly how we can all judge others for their sin, while comfortably ignoring our own. Sin is sin; stealing or murder; rape or gossip; judging or adultery; homosexuality or judging those who are homosexual!
Even today, in the twenty-first century - all of the above - we are all that and then some! Are we not as deserving of destruction as Sodom and Gomorrah? Only because of grace, are we not destroyed already - only because of the love God has for us. Great free lesson below!
God has shown mercy upon the world, while calling billions already {predestined} to know Him, placing their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save it through said faith, by bringing into the world the grace and truth it needed.
MERCY - 'God not giving us the punishment we deserve - wanting none to perish.'
GRACE - 'God giving us what we do not deserve, because He is good and just wants to bless us.'
PS:
Invest in yourself! Invest in truth!
Consider the purchase of one or all four Holy Spirit led authored books HERE or HERE addressing 'How & why we must connect with Jesus' * 'Man gives us religion - God gives us truth' * 'Lesson to live by' (powerful on grace & gratitude) * and 'Super hero's for Jesus' as a grass roots learning tool - awesome for children as well as new Christians.
I thank you ... and I thank you, Jesus, amen and amen!
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