3 Sept. Paul explains the Good News
"I am proud of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes - to save the Jews first, and also to save those who are not Jews."
"The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself - that it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, 'But those who are right with God will live by trusting in him'." [Habakkuk 2:4]
"God's anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth. God shows his anger because some knowledge of him has been made clear to them."
"Yes, God has shown himself to them. There are things about him that people cannot see - his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made."
"So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness. They said they were wise, but they became fools. They traded the glory of God who lives for ever for the worship of idols made to look like earthly people, birds, animals and snakes."
"Because they did these things, God left them and let them go their sinful way, wanting only to do evil. As a result, they became full of sexual sin, using their bodies wrongly with each other."
"They traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshipped and served what had been created instead of the God who created those things, who should be praised for ever, Amen..."
"People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do things they should not do. They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness and hatred... They know God's law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them."
(Romans 1:18-32)
Paul begins his letter to the believers in Rome by explaining the power of his message: “The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself – that it begins and ends with faith” (Romans 1:17).
He goes on to explain that God has revealed himself to people over the ages, but often they have chosen to reject him:
"So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him." (Romans 1:21)
Paul recalls how people have rejected the worship of God, and have set up worthless idols instead: "Their foolish minds were filled with darkness. They said they were wise, but they became fools. They traded the glory of God who lives for ever for the worship of idols made to look like earthly people, birds, animals and snakes." (Romans 1:21-23)
Paul then expands on the ways that people have rejected God's ways: "Because they did these things, God left them and let them go their sinful way, wanting only to do evil. As a result, they became full of sexual sin, using their bodies wrongly with each other." (Romans 1:24)
Paul goes on to explain the consequences of rejecting God's ways: "They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness and hatred... They know God's law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them." (Romans 1:31-32)
This sets the scene for Paul to outline the consequences of this rejection of God's ways - which we will explore tomorrow.
The photo shows the Arch of Emperor Septimius Severus in the Forum at Rome.
You can read more from Paul's Letter to the Romans @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/how-to-be-put-right-with…/