Sermon 5

Descending Downward Into Depravity

Romans 1:18-25

My cousin, Glenna, who is seven years older than me, studied at a state university. She once told me about a philosophy class that she took. Philosophy classes can be strange and this one apparently was. The final exam consisted of one question. The question was one word. The final exam question of my cousin, Glenna's philosophy course was the word "Why?" Glenna told me that students filled their blue books with their answer to the question "Why?"

Romans 1:19-25 answers the question "Why?" Specifically, Paul began his carefully constructed presentation of the gospel with a declaration that the righteous wrath of God abides on all mankind, v. 18. The wrath of which Paul is speaking is the eternal punishment to which every man is condemned.

Someone is sure to ask, "How can God send people to hell who have never heard the gospel?" In other words, it would be unfair of God to send ignorant people to eternal punishment. This is the question addressed in the verses that follow in Romans 1. Why? Verse 19 begins the answer - "Because."

What follows are four reasons for the wrath of God. But there is more than that here. There is more than just a statement of reasons to explain the wrath of God. Really, what Paul describes here are four steps on which sinful man have descended into the depths of depravity.

Here is the downward spiral of man, away from God, away from truth and righteousness descending deeper and deeper into depravity.

It begins in verses 19 and 20 with ...

Revelation, vs. 19-20 (read).

These two verses say that God has revealed Himself to man. Notice the language of the text - God is manifest in them ... God hath showed it unto them ... the invisible things of him are clearly seen (and) understood...

Because man is finite and God is infinite, if man is to know God it must come about by God’s revelation of Himself to man. In other words, we only know God because He has revealed Himself to us.

Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

There are two basic classifications of revelation - General revelation and specific revelation. General Revelation is God’s communication of Himself to all persons at all times and in all places.

Specifically, God’s self-manifestation comes through nature and through the inner being of the human person (conscience).

Creation Reveals God - Psalm 19:1-6 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Acts 14:17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

Conscience Reveals God - Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. Romans 2:14-15 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts ... (See also Acts 17:22-31)

According to Romans 1:20), then, the general revelation of God makes all men "without excuse" (Romans 1:20) so far as his responsibility to God. Man cannot plead ignorance of God. God has revealed Himself to all men at all times through creation and through conscience.

Rejection, v. 21.

The text explains that man has rejected God. Men have turned away from God's revelation of Himself. Man looks at creation and says, "God didn't do this. It can be explained apart from God. It all began with a huge explosion, a big bang. Nothing exploded (which is what is really being said) - nothing exploded and produced everything over millions of years through the process of evolution - natural selection and survival of the fittest. Man hears that inner voice of conscience and says, "That's not from God. That's just been embedded into me through an environment that seeks to control my behavior by making me feel guilty. I need to overcome my conscience." Man rejects God's revelation of Himself.

How is this rejection manifest? Paul explains - "they glorified Him not as God." The very essence of man's fallenness and depravity is that he refuses to glorify God. Man will not recognize God, giving praise and honor and worship to Him. "For all have sinner and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1) but man refuses to. Secondly, Paul says that man's rejection of God is manifest by ingratitude - "neither were they thankful." Men are so prideful that they cannot be thankful. They are so full of themselves and their own accomplishments that they refuse everything they have comes from the graciousness, the goodness and the generosity of God. The third manifestation of man's rejection of God is a "vain imagination", - empty thoughts and reasonings, that is, a spiritual vacuum.

And the result of this rejection of God is a "foolish and darkened heart." When you have truth revealed to you and you reject that truth, you turn away from the light and you travel deeper into darkness. On the other hand, when you respond to whatever light you have, when you embrace the light of God's revelation of Himself, God will give you more light. Thus, man's ignorance of God is self-induced. Man is in darkness because he has rejected the light of God's revelation.

Rationalization, v. 22.

In spite of having a foolish heart, man pronounces and professes himself to be wise. Man thinks himself so smart when actually he is foolish, so enlightened when actually he is engulfed in darkness. He rationalizes his rejection of God. He builds arguments of logical and scientific information to explain away creation and conscience. He has to. After all, if man admitted his foolishness, he would have to acknowledge God. So man turns to his own intellect for answers instead of the revelation of God. God gives man the intellect to smelt iron and to fashion them into hammer and nails. God grows a tree and gives man the strength and the brains to cut it down and to construct into something. And man, fashions the tree into a cross and uses the hammer and nails to torture and kill the Son of God, thinking that he is doing society a service. This is the foolishness of man who professes himself to be wise.

Religion, vs. 23-25.

Man, to whom God has revealed Himself, ignored God, rejected God, deified himself and finally, replaced God with gods of his own creation, images of men, of birds and beasts and reptiles, v. 23. Man worships the creature instead of the Creator, v. 25. First came the Ford (named for a man). Later came the Falcon (named for a bird). Still later, the Impala (named for a four-footed creature) and finally, the Cobra (named for a reptile). That's the foolish way of man. Religion is not man's sincere pursuit and search for the true God. It is man's replacing God the Creator with creatures. Religion does not get a person closer to God but shows just how far from God man can get! Thus, the Hindus worship 330 million gods and 75 million cows. The Buddists count as sacred the discolored tooth that they believed to have Budda's and worship statues of him. Religion is not the answer to man's need. It is, in fact, the manifestation of man's rejection of the one and only true and living God. Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: Mark 12:29-30 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Why has the wrath of God been pronounced upon all men? Because God has revealed Himself to all men at all times through creation and through conscience. Because man has rejected God, rationalized God out of his mind and replaced God with religions of his own making and pleasing.

But God does not delight in punishment. He delights in mercy. He is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance", II Peter 3:9. Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Luke 19:41-44 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. In the heart of God, there are tears mingled with His wrath and He calls for me to respond to His grace.

Friend, you need not experience God's wrath. You can call upon the name of the Lord Jesus and be saved, delivered from the coming wrath of God right now, right wear you sit. Open your heart and your life to the one and only true God, revealed through His Son, Jesus Christ and come today, publicly identifying with Him by professing your faith in Christ, by presenting yourself as a candidate for baptism and/or church membership, by confessing your sins, by committing yourself and dedicating yourself (or perhaps, rededicating yourself) to a life of obedience to God and His word.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, that we are not left to our own devices to find you but that you have revealed yourself to us, through the creation that surrounds us, the conscience that speaks quietly within us, and most fully through your Son Jesus Christ and your word inspired and preserved for us. I pray for those who are presently abiding beneath your wrath, that they will see their true condition and flee from the coming wrath by coming to Jesus Christ. May they come confessing their sin and trusting in Christ. May they not delay another day. Lord, give us boldness to share the gospel with those who dwell around us every day in a doomed condition. And may our lives be a clear testimony of Light to them. we pray in Jesus name, Amen.