Friday, 9 August 2024

Romans part 17 - Go and Sin no more

Tweet

Spoiler Alert!!!

You may want to read this privately before reading aloud to an audience (young or old). The sins described in the text are usually unmentionable.

Romans 1:26-32 For this reason God gave them up to shameful passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for what is against nature. Likewise the men abandoned natural relations with women and were burning with passion toward one another - men committing shameful acts with other men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And just as they did not see fit to recognize God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what is not fitting. They became filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents. They are foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree - that those who practice such things deserve death - they not only do them but also approve of others who practice the same.

Naturally, these verses (the last 7 verses of Romans 1) are a detailed description of what is mentioned briefly in the previous two verses. (As a lead in) ... Because they worshipped idols instead of God ... Romans 1:24-25 Therefore God gave them over in the evil desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies with one another. They traded the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Then we pick up with our subject verses.

Visine Eye Drops - (tetrahydrozoline ophthalmic) - used to have a commercial tag line, "Get the red out." Similarly, I hear Paul's voice echo the words, "Get the sin out." These shameful deeds may be unmentionable, but Paul does a very good job of mentioning them in detail. Why does he do that? Could it be that he prophetically saw into the future (the day we are in now) when these "unmentionable" sins would be ubiquitous?

Paul concludes the chapter with these words ... Romans 1:32:b ... they not only do them but also approve of others who practice the same. God has not kept these things secret. The penalty is death. God's fix is repentance, turn away from sin. Yeshua told the woman accused of adultery, after she turned her attention to HIM ... John 8:11b "Then neither do I condemn you," Yeshua said. "Go, and sin no more."

Condemnation is the purview of the judge. John 3:17 God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. While we are not the judge, we are called to have discernment. Isaiah 5:20 Oy to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet, and sweet as bitter!

Yeshua is the light of the world. John 8:12 Yeshua spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. The one who follows Me will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." May His light shine upon you, within you and through you. Go and sin no more.