Born Again: How to Maximize Your New Life In Christ. Ruthven Roy

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СКАЧАТЬ life of God. In this regard, Paul gives a more comprehensive, jaw-dropping depiction of estranged humanity in Romans 1:18-32 that is worthy of our prayerful review.

      ¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

      ²¹For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²²Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

      ²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. ²⁵For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

      ²⁶For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, ²⁷and 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.

      ²⁸And 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, ²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; ³²and although they 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 is absolutely no doubt that modern humanity is living right in the middle of this uncompromising prophetic Word of God. Here is a clear summary of the above scripture:

      1.See verses 18-20. People live in denial by suppressing the truth about God and morality, in their attempt to silence God’s witness against their corrupt behavior. Is there any wonder then why electronic media and conventional “wisdom” try so very hard to squeeze God out of every public conversation? But the Holy Scriptures say that they are without excuse because of God’s un-erasable, internal witness against them through the voice of their conscience.

      2.See verses 21-23. In order to pursue their futile speculations, immoral people willfully and unashamedly refuse to include God in their thoughts and conversations. Instead, they give more recognition and glory to their kind and to their foolish “wisdom” concerning their lifestyle.

      3.See verses 24-32. Because of their rejection of His moral authority, God allows the ungodly to follow their immoral lusts and permits their sinful behaviors to run their course to their devastating end. Consequently, we are experiencing today an increasing manifestation of vicious hatred and evil in our world, and of an intense surge of unnatural human affection—men with men, women with women. What was once considered to be a dark, covert, “closet” phenomenon is now openly declared as acceptable, while its conspirators try desperately to force the God of light into a “closet” of “forgettable” darkness.

      Every fabric of modern society is reeling under the growing influence of the gay and lesbian movement and their demand for a re-definition of the marriage institution. The same-sex marriage agenda has force its way into the religious community and is seriously testing the integrity and moral resolve of what was once regarded as society’s conscience—the Church. Church leaders are now compelled to negotiate a position of compromise to accommodate the fleshly demands of these spiritually blinded victims of the evil one.

      Interestingly, the Word of God confirms that if the truth of the gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world [satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

      Moreover, those who advocate the same-sex lifestyle by utilizing the power of electronic media, celebrity “out-of-the-closet” disclosures, political funding and the “worldly-wise” intelligentsia to endorse and promote their agendas, are completely unaware that they are operating against the merciful—though permissive—will of God, whose judgment against sin and evil is an uncomfortable certainty.

      Doomed for Destruction

      For the wages of sin is death . . . Romans 6:23

      Truth Nugget #3: Humanity cannot change itself or its course towards eternal destruction without deliverance from heaven.

      Because of Adam’s sin, life on planet earth became a slow, painful, death-march to eternal destruction; and humanity can neither change itself nor its destructive course without divine help. The Bible confirms that all the living know that they shall die (Ecclesiastes 9:5). However, the ultimate effect of Adam’s deadly misstep at the dawn of Creation is the two un-avoidable appointments it has imposed upon all his descendants—death and judgment regarding our eternal destiny.

      And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

      Hebrews 9:27

      With all its noblest intentions, intelligence and creativity, human-kind is totally powerless to handle the sin problem, along with its natural or eternal consequences. A man’s best effort to change himself is an act in total futility and frustration. Through His prophet Jeremiah, God asked and answered the very poignant question: Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil (Jeremiah 13:23, NIV). Understanding the plight of man’s condition before God, the prophet uttered the plaintive plea:

      O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. ²⁴O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.

      Jeremiah 10:23, 24

      Additionally, the Holy Scriptures affirm that there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 16:25, NIV). The apostle Paul expressed this frustration before he experienced the power of the living Christ in his life.

      For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. ¹⁵For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. ¹⁶But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. ¹⁷So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. ¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

      ¹⁹For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. ²⁰But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. ²¹I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. ²²For I joyfully concur with the law of God in СКАЧАТЬ