Romans by the Book (Lesson 13)

Home Bible Study- Lutz, Florida

Established November 2008

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

(2 Timothy 2:15)

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4

Romans by the Book                                                             Lesson 13

I always begin by welcoming back all those who choose to spend some of their time studying their Bible with us.   My how you are appreciated!  

I never intend to leave out those who are visiting.  I want to welcome you to our Home Bible study too.  We appreciate the fact that you stopped by.  I pray you’ll come back and visit us often.

I believe in reviewing our work because repetition is the best teaching tool there is.

With this in mind, let’s go back over some of the details of Paul’s fourth “for.”

4) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness…

These few words, sum up all of Scripture as to the Holy God’s attitude toward sin.

Paul’s fourth “for” reveals mankind’s appalling sinful state, per the Creator God.  It demonstrates society’s need of the Gospel of Grace because none could obtain God’s favor or escape his wrath by their own works.

We learned that God directs His wrath against two areas: “ungodliness” and “unrighteousness.” 

We know that God loves the sinner.  But God hates sin.  Don’t let people try to convince you of anything else!  Scripture is clear on this point. 

In the last lesson, the truth people were suppressing had nothing to do with salvation or the cross.  If you study the passage closely, it is clear Paul is writing about the “creation” event and not salvation truth. 

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Please open your Bible to Romans chapter one and we’ll drop in at verse 24.

Romans 1

24: Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

25: For they exchanged the (what) truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.  Amen.

26: For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

27: and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

28: And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

29: being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,

30: slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

31: without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;

32: and although they (now read carefully) know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

There’s a lot going on in these verses.  We’ll take it slow. 

First, remember the Apostle Paul always writes to Believers.  But what else is true?  Eventually, in time, unbelievers will learn of these things as well; both Jew and Gentile.

Second, Paul pointed out in verse 16 that the gospel (who had received the Law, the temple worship, and the moral code of conduct and no one else had any of this), had gone out to the Jews first.  And we looked at this.  This was a “Dispensational Change” ordained by God (see Genesis 12).   

Before the call of Abram the entire human race had opportunity to know the LORD God (Jehovah in the Old Testament) based on His terms but they rejected it, they did not take God at His Word.  To quote one Bible teacher I respect, “They walked God’s Word underfoot.”

Let me give you an example: Noah’s father, Lamach, of the line of Seth, was of the eighth generation from Adam and Eve.  Knowledge of the LORD God was held and imparted by “tradition” from the very beginning.  It did not die off after Adam’s death.

Knowledge of the LORD God was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.

But by the time mankind reached the year 2350 BC (approximate) the “world was so corrupt” it necessitated destruction (Genesis 6-7 – the Noahic Flood).  The LORD God spared Noah and his seven family members and started over.  Then some 200 years later we have the Biblical account of the Tower of Babel at 2175 BC (approximate) and this is where every false religion known to man has its origins.  The LORD God forces mankind to separate by confusing their language but they go deeper and deeper into idolatry and depravity. 

Therefore the Creator God institutes a dispensational change = a divine ordering or management of affairs and events in the world.  At 2000 BC (approximate) the world is still corrupt but God knows of one man named Abram, and He calls out to him to be the father of a new nation, a special people; chosen by God for His purpose (Genesis 12; 15). 

After the call of Abram, the LORD GOD deals primarily with the nation of Israel and this is based on the Abrahamic Covenant with a few exceptions.

Verse 24: God gave them (Gentiles) over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity,

So many preachers take these Bible verses and use them today to teach us about our shameful society, and the sinful nature of men and women.  And that’s o.k.

It’s applicable.  But I want you to know why the Apostle Paul wrote these verses.

We have a phrase that is repeated 3 times. 

What does it mean when a phrase or word is repeated within a short span of time?

Answer: it’s being emphasized.  Therefore, we need to pay attention.

Verse 24 – “God gave them over”

Verse 26 – “God gave them over”

Verse 28 - “God gave them over”

When you consider this phrase, you discover it gives you the entire structure for this passage of Scripture.  The word in the Greek language is “paredoken.”  

J.B. Phillips says, “They gave God up.  So God gave them up.” 

It is a very strong word meaning, that act where God literally hands over the human race for judgment for their sins.

This passage then goes on to express the downward spiral of the human race after they turned away from God.  Each step man takes away from God leads man further and further into moral depravity.  

But be careful.  As Scripture clearly teaches us, no matter how lost a sinner may be, no matter how deeply depraved they a sinner may be (this includes Hitler, Idi Amin, Joseph Stalin, etc., God is ready, willing, and able to save.  God loves the sinner.  It is the sin God cannot abide.

As I was saying, the further man sinks into depravity the further man is distanced from the Creator.  Here is an example from Scripture to illustrate this teaching.   

Genesis 6

5: Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was (what’s the next word) great on the earth (not just here and there – but everywhere), and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was (now read carefully) only evil (how often) continually.

The only time men and women were not concentrating on “evil” was when they were asleep based on what this verse says.  Once they were up and out of bed, it was an anything goes lifestyle all over the God-forsaken planet!

After the flood, it didn’t get better; it got worse.  Mankind resumed their depravity.

Man has no equal when it comes to inventing ways to be cruel and inhuman to their fellow man.  Do you know of an animal that tortures or mistreats another animal?

Even the Jews, who were the chosen people, who had the Law and the Temple, were not immune to their Adamic Natures.  They too “turned away” from God many times, as recorded throughout the O.T.  Even though the Jews “knew” the one true Jehovah God, they turned to idolatry time and time again.  

Case in point: about 2,600 years ago the Jews were sacrificing their sons and daughters to the pagan god Molech.  This shows how depraved they were and demonstrated how far they had “turned away” from the LORD.

Jeremiah 32

35: “They (the Jews) built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire (Molech was an old Canaanite idol which was hollow and capable of being heated.  A fire was built and allowed to burn until it turned white hot.  The children were then placed on its arms and sacrificed to Molech one after the other in a continuous line) to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

*Palestinian excavations have uncovered evidences of “infant skeletons” in burial places around pagan shrines in Israel.

Today, this very day, Americans are sacrificing their sons and daughters to one of the great gods of America…the god of convenience. 

The Israelites disregarded God’s Laws when they sacrificed their children to Molech in Israel 2,600 years ago and Americans disregard God’s Commandments when they abort their children for convenience sake, financial concerns, vanity, being too young, gender selection, etc.; in America today. 

To take an unborn child’s life is cold-blooded, it is heartless, it is depraved.

It is playing god.  It is sin in God’s eyes.

What is the judgment of God when mankind turns away from Him? 

God gives them up over. 

(To be continued)

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GJ Heitzman’s Ministry

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