Good morning, or as we say in Hebrew, “Boker Tov!” Last week, here on Mishkan Katan, we began the study of the book of Romans, examining the first 16 verses.
Verse 16 is a pivotal verse, as it rounds out the first 15, yet also is connected to verse 17, illuminating that verse in a similar fashion. Today, we are going to plan to finish the chapter. I said it like that because, as I plan and write, I generally have in mind how much I'd like to cover. However, sometimes it does not work out like that, in actual practice. So, we’ll see how far we get. This is a very heavy section of the Bible. In other words, this latter half of Romans 1 is often deeply unpopular among the unbelievers and, shockingly, also among those who claim the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah. My prayer is that, as we are all admonished in 1 Corinthians 16:14 TAW “Let all your affairs be conducted with love.” That’s what I hope to do this morning, speak with you in love, even as we descend into some very dark places.
What I’d like to do first is to read the rest of the verses in the chapter all at once, and then go through, making points as needed. If you are new to this teaching broadcast, it is important to have a copy of the Scriptures with you, because although I do use illustrations and personal anecdotes, the crux of the learning comes from digging into the Scriptures themselves in a sequential fashion. So, if you have turned to Romans chapter one, let’s go. We’ll begin reading in verse 16, merely to connect and then will continue on through verse 32. As announced last week, I will be using as my featured translation in this series The Apostolic Writings, a new translation of the Brit Chadasha, the New Testament, from the original Aramaic scrolls.
16 For I am not ashamed of the Good News; for it is the power of Elohim to Life for all who believe in it; whether they are first from the Yehudeans, or whether they are from the Arameans.
17 For in it is revealed the righteousness of Elohim, from faith to faith; as it is written, The righteous will live by faith.
18 For the wrath of Elohim from heaven is revealed against all the wickedness and ungodliness of men, those who suppress the truth with wickedness.
19 Because the knowledge of Elohim is revealed among them; for Elohim revealed it among them.
20 For, from the foundations of the world, the invisible things of Elohim are seen by the wisdom in the things He created and were made eident by His Eternal Power and Divine Majesty, so that they would be without excuse.
21 Because they knew Elohim and did not glorify Him and give thanks to Him as Elohim but became fruitless in their reasonings and their heart was darkened because it lacked understanding.
22 And, while they were considering within themselves (in their souls) that they were wise, they became fools.
23 And, they changed the glory of the incorruptible Elohim into a likeness to the image of a corruptible man, and into the likeness of birds and four-legged animals and reptiles on the earth.
24 Because of this, Elohim delivered them the defiled desires of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies by them.
25 And, they changed the truth of Elohim into a lie; and worshipped and served the created things, much more than the Creator of them, to whom belong glory and our blessings, forever and ever: Amen.
26 For this reason, Elohim delivered them to shameful passions; for their women changed the use of their natures and used that which is not natural.
27 So also their men set aside the natural use of the gender of women and burned with lust toward one another; and male with male, they did what is shameful and received in their core substance the just payment of their error.
28 And, as they did not determine in their souls to know Elohim, Elohim gave them over to a futile mind; that they would do what is not right.
29 Being full of all iniquity and fornication, and bitterness and evil, and greed and envy, and murder and strife, and deceit and evil reasonings,
30 And backbiting and slander, and being haters of Elohim, scoffers, proud, boastful, creators of evil things, ignorant ones, and not obedient to their parents.
31 And who are covenant breakers, having neither love, nor peace, and in whom is no compassion.
32 They are those, while they know the judgment of Elohim, that He condemns those to death who act on such things, are not only doers of them, but also fellowship with those who are doing these things.
In these verses, we witness a gradual descent into human depravity. How did mankind as a whole get to such a sorry state?! Can you identify the first step toward apostasy and paganism? I believe it rests in verse 28. These who chose depravity “did not determine in their souls to know Elohim”.
Hold your place in Romans 1 and turn in your bibles to Philippians 3:9-10, again from TAW:
9 ... not having righteousness of my soul (naphshah), that is from the traditions, but that which is from faith in the Mashiyach, that is the righteousness which is from Elohim;
10 through which I might know Yeshua and the power of his resurrection, and would be a participant in his sufferings and be conformed to his death;
One more verse I want you to see, and it is on the Tanakh, the Old Testament. Again, keeping your place in Romans 1, turn to Jeremiah 29:13
13 When you seek me, you will find me, provided you seek for me wholeheartedly;
This is the point we need to constantly come back to, the one we need as the hub of the wheel. As the people of God, the Bride of the Messiah, we need to fervently seek the Lord, every day, putting him at the center of our lives. The great theologian A. W. Tozer said, “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.” I don’t know about you, but this is a constant battle for me. I am constantly being lured into lesser distractions, which are not of themselves evil, but which have the potential to prevent me from seeking God, spending time in His Word, praying, seeking His face in all things.
Recently, here at Mishkan Katan, we studied the habits of the prophet Daniel. Do you remember how he diligently, faithfully, ardently sought the Lord in prayer at least 3 times a day? He wanted to know God. This was his highest priority.
As Christians, we are often hammered with the admonition to “do our daily quiet time, or daily devotional time”, whatever you want to call it. Why is this so important? Because in reading the words God gave us, we are provided an opportunity to draw near to him, to let his eternal truths seep into our spirits and change our lives.
So, this is the jumping off point. When we digress and fall away in these habits of devotion, we are on the road to false doctrine, to wickedness in our lives and ultimately, if not stopped, to depraved acts. Don’t think that just because you bear the name of the Messiah, Yeshua/Jesus you are immune. Even though this passage is not addressing believers in the one, true God, the Divine Majestic Mystery, it is a cautionary tale for us.
Let’s look at another central, vital concept, in verse 17 next. It is speaking of the good news, the gospel, in which is revealed God’s righteousness. And, how is it revealed to man? I don’t know how your translation puts this, but TAW describes the right relationship with God to be “from faith to faith”. What does that mean? It means that we come to the beginning of our relationship with God only through faith; and, we continue and grow in our relationship with God through faith, until we see Him in the next life. It is all about faith. Faith, when we don’t understand something we read in Scripture, as may be the case often. Faith, when things in our life seem to be heading in the wrong direction. Faith when the horrible unexpected happens, crushing our hearts. Faith in the ultimate goodness of God. Faith. That’s what it’s all about.
I’m going to next skip over verses 18 through 20 for the moment and come back to them later. But, the next descending rung on the ladder I want you to see is in verse 18, “suppressing the truth”. How is this done? Through wickedness, deception, telling half-truths, actively working against the truth. I'll have more to say about this in just a few minutes.
In verse 21, we see that God has revealed himself to man, but that man as a whole has chosen to not seek God, to not know Him, to not glorify God or give thanks to Him. The next question is, “well, who then DID they glorify?” They chose to put themselves on the throne of their lives instead. They became their own small-g gods, determining their own destinies, making their own wisdoms, in essence serving the enemy, the evil one, the god of this fallen world.
As believers in Yeshua HaMashiach, we often fall into this same trap. When we don’t devote ourselves to knowing our God, on a regular basis, we then decide to put ourselves in His place, in key areas of our lives. We push Him off our heart’s throne, and we put ourselves there. And, this next point is the third step in the slide toward apostasy - - we cease to be thankful.
I was telling a cousin this past weekend that I started a book about six years ago, a project I’d love to finish, on the topic of envy/covetousness. I actually pitched it to a publisher, and got nowhere. It’s not a popular topic, because it stings even the Bride of Messiah, in this materialistic, me-centered world. But, Thou Shalt Not Covet, the 10th commandment, the last one in the list, could be re-framed as “Be Thankful.” Gratitude is the direct opposite of covetousness, which is the sin of wanting more and more and more. If you are thankful for what you have been given, you won’t want what someone else has - - their Ferrari, their pedigreed pet poodle, their job, their spouse - - I could go on, but you get the idea.
I hope you are beginning to see that we could read the latter half of Romans 1 and wag our fingers at “those pagans”, but we need to also examine our own hearts. If we don’t, then Romans 2 will hit us like a sledgehammer, lol.
In the latter half of verse 21, what was the outcome of not seeking God, not glorifying God in their lives, and in not being thankful? The result was that they became fools, that is, their hearts began to fill with darkness. The evil and darkness of the world began to seep in, like a rising flood. Their ability to reason became fruitless and twisted.
I know you have met these people, who have lost the ability to discern truth. Truth, ultimate truth, is found in the Word of God. If a person divorces him or herself from that Truth, which is the foundation of all truth in the world, the abilities of reasoning and thinking become convoluted and twisted.
Here’s an example: Take any political issue. This should be easy, as we are currently, here in the USA, in the last spasms of a presidential election season. First of all, there is so much untruth flying around that it might be difficult to identify a political issue and to state the position of each of the two main candidates. However, please try. There are also many value judgments that cloud most issues - - for example, accusations of “lack of kindness”, etc. So, you have to clear those away, strip them down so that you can examine the two positions’ bare bones. Now, in most cases, the two positions are going to be diametrically opposed to each other. The question is: on this particular issue, does one side or the other line up more with what God has said in Scripture on that issue? Usually, the answer is “yes”. What about the position of the other side, though? Can you identify the false reasoning that underlies the false position, according to the revealed truth in the Word of God?
We dwell in a society where the majority of people operate with clouded minds that do not even know the Word of God, much less how to apply it to their lives. They are instead swayed into their positions, based on what their friends say, what social media says, what the particular news channel they favor says. The gap between those who labor for a righteous world and those who don’t just continues to broaden.
Verse 22 points out that these who have lost the ability to discern and judge according to God’s eternal standards of truth and righteousness exalt themselves. They tout their positions as right, and proclaim themselves to be “smarter than the average bear”. In fact, they look down on people of God, who base their lives upon The Book, pegging us as anti-intellectual, etc. In the public school system, this indoctrination often begins in middle school. Parents, I encourage you to explore a variety of options for educating your child, being very mindful that many of them are not friendly toward the ways of God. Guard the minds and hearts of your children from those who would influence and persuade them to turn from the truth.
Verse 23 spells out the next rung on the ladder of descent. Idolatry. Specifically, in this context, the worship of false gods represented by physical objects is what is being referenced by Paul. The Jews and the followers of Yeshua were monotheists, surrounded by an entire world of polytheists. Not only did the Jews and the Jewish, Greek and Gentile followers of Yeshua worship only one God, that is Yahweh, they were prohibited by Yahweh from making any type of formed, physical representation of Him. This was given as the second commandment, in Exodus 20:4 CJB
4 You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline.
It seems to me Father Yahweh is insulted by our feeble attempts to design a physical object that would supposedly look like Him or represent Him. He cannot be contained. But, notice that this verse and translation also forbid making physical representations of any other heavenly or hellish beings, for the purpose of worship or for the aid of worship.
In Ephesus, for example, there was a huge trade in selling likenesses of the false goddess Artemis or Diana. This type of thing was very common. Even one of the matriarchs, Rachel, snuck out her father, Laban’s, house “the household idol”. What in the very heck, right? Some of the sages believe this was why Rachel’s life was cut short, after birthing Benjamin.
So, in that day and culture this was a big problem - - idolatry. The Bible is clear that when a human worships a physical object, he or she is not just worshipping an inanimate piece of wood or stone or steel. No, behind these physical representations are false, evil spirits, which serve the enemy of souls, HaSatan, Satan. Idol worship is demon worship.
“Well, I don’t do that,” you say. However, just because we don’t bow down to a statue of a fish or goat or angel does not mean that we don’t commit idolatry in our more modern age. We’ve heard hints of this from higher rungs on the ladder, but the more common, modern form of idolatry involves esteeming anything or anyone higher than our God. It can be ... in no particular order ... our pleasures, our possessions, our spouse, our children, our career advancement, personal power, influence. I could go on, but you get the picture.
And, I can tell you from personal experience that this is insidious. As a believer, it will sneak up on you. Here’s a clue: if you are lacking peace in your life, take a look at who is on your throne. Really think about it, because we are experts at fooling ourselves. Labor over it in prayer and see if perhaps you are placing someone or some thing before your relationship with God.
I went through something like this, and only recently realized that my lack of peace was because I was placing someone higher in my life than I placed Father Yahweh, Yeshua. I was allowing this misplaced love to cause disorder in my life. And, it was several years before I realized the source of the problem. At Pesach/Passover, we clean the chametz out of our homes, a symbol of cleaning the leaven/sin out of our lives. When Tishri arrives, we are nearing the end of the biblical year and nearing the end of the 40 days of self-examination and repentance with which we close the year. These are good acts of worship, very beneficial. But, even more beneficial is to be on guard against idolatry every day.
This morning, the day I was writing this lesson, I sat down to read my Bible, early in the morning. I use this app, Blue Letter Bible, that takes me through the Bible in a year. The app has several ways to slice that pie. The one my mother and I follow together is called “the blended plan”. Somehow, however, I had gotten off onto another plan. In my morning stupor, I did not realize my error until I had read all of Luke 18. However, the Lord intended me to read Luke 18, because contained in that chapter is the story of the Bible character commonly called “The Rich, Young Ruler”. Without you turning there, this was a dude who claimed to be a very, very devout Jew. Yeshua, however, knew his weak spot. He indentified the man’s idol when he told him to divest himself of his many possessions and to give them to benefit the poor. Was it the having of the possessions that was the impediment to the man’s spiritual growth? No. It was not the possessing of them; it was that the riches possessed him. They were his idol.
May we all take the apostle John’s admonition to heart, as he said in 1 John 5:21 TAW - - his last words in the epistle of 1 John - - “My children, keep your souls from idolatry.”
As a result of this descent into depravity, the Lord God turns such people loose. The next rung down the ladder is the degradation of personal morality. Defiled desires; dishonored bodies.
Verse 25 is a sort of summary of the previous sins that led to the dishonoring of the body. Verse 26 and 27 get even more specific. How did or do these people dishonor their bodies? The first thing Paul lists is: through acting on “shameful passions”, committing homosexual acts.
Some of you listening, or reading the text on my blog, remember when homosexuality was barely heard of, and certainly not talked about in “polite company”. Today, what do we have? Not only do we have homosexuality flaunted about as “normal”, our perverse society is affirming all sorts of other gender-fluid behaviors. We are allowing the mental illness, the demonic possession, to run SO unchecked that we are allowing the mutilation of our children, in the name of “having been born into the wrong body”.
Some of you at this point are severely offended, because you have friends and loved ones who are gender dysphoric, or who are practicing homosexuals. And, you have convinced yourself that telling them what the Bible says about their behavior is “unkind” or “unloving”. However, the truth is never unkind or unloving. It can be delivered in an unkind or unloving way. But, God’s truth is always healthful, life-giving and a source of deliverance from bondage. To allow someone we say we love to walk in bondage to a Satanic lie, is not loving. It is not kind.
This deep, spiritual enslavement is hard to break. One reason is because it is surrounded by lies which tell the prisoner they can never break free. Abortion is another deep, spiritual enslavement that is packaged up in lies.
People who practice this type of harm to their bodies are self-destructive. Verse 27 says that they will receive “in their core substance just payment for their error”. What do you think this means? Well, on one human, earthly level, they are deprived of their God-given sexuality, of a godly relationship with a member of the opposite sex, with the reward of producing biological children, growing a family.
Verse 29. Another way people who practice sexual sin are enslaved is through pornography and heterosexual sin. This is referred to as iniquity and fornication. Don’t make the mistake of believing that just because homosexual practices were mentioned first that heterosexual sins are not as evil or devastating.
Perhaps some of you have experienced the devastating effects of sexual sin in your own life. Perhaps a loved one abandoned God’s truth, God’s purposes for godly relationships, and you were left to deal with the consequences, to bear the sorrow and pain. My pastor pointed out this past Sunday that one’s poor decisions in this regard never affect just the two who initiate an illicit relationship. The whole family is affected, and often the blowback falls on those who are in the couple’s sphere of influence. I am thinking of a couple whose marriage is fractured because the wife left the husband and four children, to take up with a man, who had a wife and four children. That’s eight children whose lives will never be the same.
And, I could give example after example.
In a post I was reading this morning on Facebook, John Parsons of H4C, Hebrew for Christians said that one of the midrashim, rabbinical stories, said the generation of the Great Flood regularly exchanged marriage partners.
I want to paraphrase a footnote in AGR’s TAW, on page 396 of the white volume, the volume with the Hebrew and Aramaic proper names. This is from footnote 20.
The phrase “core substance” is elsewhere translated “themselves”, but “core substance” is actually a better rendering of meaning. It is a translation of the Aramaic word, “qnoma”, “a foundational place where the very essence of humanity resides.” AGR goes on to comment, “Our spirituality is that essence of our humanity that establishes the values and conduct of our individual sexuality. Righteous spirituality in Mashiyach produces righteous sexuality, fruits of the Set-apart Spirit, and reveals intimate wisdom and knowledge of both masculine and feminine attributes of Yahweh.”
Elsewhere, in 1 Corinthians 6:18, the apostle Paul, Rav Shaul, makes this summary observation. This is from the CJB translation.
18 Run from sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against his own body.
The very next verse is the one that inspired the name of this LAMB TV Network online bible teaching ministry, Mishkan Katan. Our bodies, if we belong to Mashiach, are “little tabernacles”. We should be living like we know and embrace that truth.
Let’s look at the remaining three verses now, beginning at the end of the passage, with verse 32, because it is the anchor verse of this passage. The group of people Paul is describing practice these behaviors. He does not say that they are tempted to do them, or that they occasionally sin and fall into them. He does not say that they are "born to them" or that they are helpless against these sins. He says that they choose these behaviors as a lifestyle, reveling in them, wallowing in their sin gleefully, defiantly. AND, they encourage others to follow their example, while approving of those who live the same way. Insolence, rebellion and unrepentance are present here, a sort of "in your face" attitude toward righteousness and toward God Himself. Make no mistake: the lack of repentance is this group's most egregious sin.
That being established, let's look at the additional, specific depraved behaviors which most often characterize this people. In other words, if you find the sexual sin, you will also most likely find the following also:
covetousness and envy (a hunger for what God has given to someone else)
malice (spite, vengefulness)
strife (promoting friction, discord and dissension)
hostility
murderers
deceitful (a lying tongue)
gossipers
slanderers (those who spread lies about others to destroy them)
arrogant
boastful
haters of God
heartless, ruthless
disobedient/disrespectful to parents
There is an analogous passage in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, and I was thinking about that as I copied down the list above. Perhaps the apostle Paul was thinking of this passage as he wrote Romans 1. Take a look and note the similarities. Can you count the 7?
16There are six things that the Lord hates,
even seven things that are an abomination to him:
17haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that are swift to run to evil,
19a false witness who pours out lies,
and a person who spreads discord among family members.
Pretty substantial overlap, wouldn’t you say?
20My child, guard the commands of your father
and do not forsake the instruction of your mother.
21Bind them on your heart continually;
fasten them around your neck.
22When you walk about, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23For the commandments are like a lamp,
instruction is like a light,
and rebukes of discipline are like the road leading to life
Proverbs 6:16-23 (NET)
Verse 20 is assuming godly mothers and fathers, of course.
Well, this has been a hard teaching. It has been hard for me to teach, hard to hear, hard to apply to my own spiritual walk.
Society has made some of the behaviors, sins, on this list very socially acceptable. In fact, if you DO speak out against certain sexual sins, you are condemned by a large segment of our modern American society. However, I am not in this "business" of Bible teaching in order to twist and pervert the word of God. His judgment on me, were I to do that, would be more awful than any shunning or backlash I receive from those who sit under my teaching.
How can I stand by silent, cherry-picking and choosing only the most comfortable Bible passages? I can't, not in good conscience. Paul warns in Romans 1:32 that those who condone, approve of, give consent to these evil behaviors are just as guilty as those who practice them! What a dire warning, not only to me, but to all of us!
