romans 1

Read Romans 1 at Bible Gateway.

This is what stood out to me today in Romans 1:

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." Rom 1:20-21

The invisible attributes of God are clearly seen and understood, even His eternal power and Godhead, just by the things which He has made, since the creation of the world. When we look out our window, and see families in houses, mothers and fathers and children, water running and trees bearing fruit and plants growing, and seasons cycling through the year -- these are the things that can clearly show us the invisible attributes of God. Francis Bacon, the founder of the scientific method, said that "no man ... [can] be too well studied in the Book of God's Word, or in the Book of God's Works." (I.e., science, or the natural world; Advancement of Learning).

Sometimes people are without the Book of God's Word. For many centuries, in the Holy Roman Empire, it was a crime for a private citizen to own a copy of the Book of His Word, and during the Reformation, many valiant men were burned at the stake for translating the Book of His Word into the common language from Latin, and copies of the Book of His Word in the common language, were gathered up and burned in huge bonfires. (So cherish your copy of the Book of His Word; many have died and would die today to own or make available those words more precious than gold.)

And even today, there are many countries in which it is a crime to own or distribute a copy of the Book of His Word. Or, there are nations, in which the Book of His Word is not available in the common tongue, nations that Wycliffe Bible Translators has not yet reached. So, God established two witnesses for Himself (for every fact must be established by two witnesses, Mat 18:16): the Book of His Word, and the Book of His World. Even if a man cannot own a copy of the Book of His Word, he can look out of his window and see with his eyes the Book of His World, which no tyrant can erase or restrain or burn in bonfires.

If a man has children, he can understand the love that Father God has for His children, and the lengths that Father God will go to to save His children from destruction. If a man is married to a wife, he can understand the love the Bridegroom has for His Bride. If a man sees a tree growing, he can understand that fruit is produced in like kind from a seed.

He sees that if he hides an apple seed within the ground, after a time, he will get an apple tree, and after a time that apple tree will produce apples, which contain apple seeds within them. He can look at his children, which are in his image, who were born to him because he hid his seed within his wife's womb, and after a time, she bore him the fruit of his body, who also carry within them seed after their kind.

Because he has read the Book of God's World, now he can understand that when God the Father hides the Seed of Messiah (Gen 3:15) within a human heart, that human becomes a product of that Seed - a child of God, not of the flesh any longer (Joh 1:12-13) - who will grow and bear the fruit of that Seed, of Messiah (Luk 6:44), and that fruit (transformed life, the operation of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, goodness and so on) carries within it the seed to produce more children of God. He has just understood the Gospel, so simply that five year- olds looking out their windows can also understand it (for the kingdom of Heaven is of little children, Mat 19:14).

If a man can discern that he has a body, and also a heart, from which comes his will, his thoughts, and his feelings, and also a spirit, his ethereal essence that lives on after death, then he can understand the triune nature of God: that God exists as one Being, as a Spirit, a Heart (the Father), and a Body (the Son). And many things about God can be discerned from the Book of God's World, which is in agreement with the Book of His Word. God is constantly speaking! His Voice is crying out from day to day and night to night, if we will unstop our ears and listen (Ps 19:1-4)!

In verse 21, Paul states that those who knew God, who did not glorify Him as God (which to me says, bow the knee to One greater than you, to the One who is Sovereign, whose will ought to be obeyed); nor were thankful, then their thoughts became futile and their hearts became foolish and darkened, and lots of other bad things and deceptions and darkness followed from that. You know, people who know God can be deceived and darkened in their hearts, because of willfulness, stubbornness, or unyieldedness, rebelliousness, and ungratefulness!

When I was newly born again (I was 17 years old), I knew a much older lady (in her 40s at the time) who had taken me under her wing in the Lord. One day she told me that the Lord told her to divorce her husband. I knew the Lord hadn't told her that! Because the Lord says, "I hate divorce," (Mal 2:16) She became deceived, because she did not glorify God as God, even though she knew Him. She did not say, "Okay, You are my King and You are my Lord, and You said You hate divorce, therefore I bow my knee to You and I will flee far away from divorce." That would be glorifying God as God.

Here is another example: all of us have gone through trials that were difficult and unpleasant. But looking back, we can see the fruit of that trial, that it brought us closer to God, or taught us something about ourselves or our walk that needed changing or brought into alignment with God's ways, so that things would go better for us from now on. Newsflash: obedience adds nothing to God. God desires our obedience to Him, because it adds benefits to us. Obedience helps us (Deu 28:1-14). (Go back to the Book of God's World. Parents do not give their children rules of the house because it benefits the parents. How can a child who eats his vegetables or who goes to bed at 8 o'clock add anything to his parents? But parents, because they love their children, give them rules of the house because it benefits the children if they submit to them.)

So the person who in the middle of a trial gives thanks to God, is a wise person. He exhibits trust in God, that even though things look bad: "I praise You, Lord God, for You are on Your throne! Your love for me has not ended! You have an answer! And even if things are bad over here, I thank You for Your blessings over there! For giving me a family who loves me! I thank You for a roof over my head! I thank You for a meal yesterday!" Or, "I thank You for my salvation in Jesus Christ, which no man or devil can take away!" There is always something to thank God for!

The children of Israel complained in the wilderness in one instance after another. They did not give thanks to God! But God had just delivered them from slavery in the kingdom of Egypt! They were now free men! They had something to be thankful for! They knew God, but they were not thankful, and they became futile in their understanding, and their hearts were darkened. That generation perished in the wilderness and never entered the Promised Land (Num 14:20-23, but read all Exodus and Numbers). All that is in the Torah is history- prophecy. Those things happened to them to instruct us, not to do as they did (1 Cor 10:11)!

Ever wonder how the Church can look so schizophrenic? With one part of the Church working to pass marriage amendments, and the other part of the Church ordaining and installing clergy with same sex partners? Not everyone who knows God, glorifies Him as God, by bowing their knee to His sovereignty (obedience), or by giving Him thanks in the circumstances in their lives (trust).

Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey! Amen!