Greetings friends. I am happy to have the opportunity to “guest blog” with you over the next little while. I’m very eager to share the Good News about God’s Son with you and some of the things I’ve learned in my own journey. You see, I love talking about Jesus (as the Newsboys song says, “I’m Not Ashamed!”) because it is the power of God at work saving everyone who believes. The Gospel tells us how God makes us right with Him, and that this is accomplished from start to finish by faith. It’s like Habakkuk says: “The righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” (Hab. 2:4)
Habakkuk is quite correct that the righteous might live by faith, but God shows His anger against all the sinful, wicked people who willfully suppress the truth from being known by their wickedness (Eph. 5:6). These people knew the truth about God because He has made it as obvious to them as He has to us. Ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and the sky (Ps. 19:1). Through everything God made, you can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature (Job 12:7-9). So these people really had no excuse for not knowing God. (Acts 14:16,17)
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or show Him any gratitude at all. And taking it a step further, they began to think up foolish ideas about what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused (ex. II Kings 17:15). Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools! And instead of worshipping our glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles, etc. (ex. Deut. 4:15-19, Ps. 106:20)
So God left 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, going so far as to worship and serve their own wants and needs, the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! 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 lustful desire for each other (Lev. 18:22 & Lev. 20:13) Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved (I Cor. 6:9).
Since they thought it nonsense to acknowledge God, He left 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, mean-spirited behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, rude, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents (Ex. 20:12). They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. (II Tim. 3:2,3). They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die (Rom. 6:23), yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too!
Now, you make 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 (Matt. 7:1,2). 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? (II Peter 3:9,15)
But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done (Ps. 62:11,12, Matt. 16:27). He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But He will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness (II Thess. 2:12). There will be trouble and disaster for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good because God does NOT show favoritism (Eph. 6:9, Col. 3:25).
When the unbelievers sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And even believers, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it (Matt. 7:21). Even unbelievers, who do not have God’s law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having ever heard it (Acts 10:35).
And this is the message that I’m talking about—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.
I’ll stop there for now. We’ll continue on later, but I’ve given you quite a lot to think on tonight.
Your brother in Christ,
Paul
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