The Gospel is the announcement of BAD NEWS

The AWFULNESS of SIN

Romans 1:18-32

            Scott Peck wrote a book entitled, People of the Lie.  The book describes how his training to become a Psychiatrist at Harvard University had at least one huge omission.  He said, having graduated as a Doctor, “I knew practically nothing about radical human evil.  I did not believe in the existence of either the devil or the phenomenon of possession . . . The very name of evil was absent from my professional vocabulary.  I had received no training on the subject.  It was not a recognized field of study for a psychiatrist or for that matter, any supposedly scientific person.  I had been taught that all psychopathology could be explained in terms of known diseases or psychodynamics, and was properly labeled and encompassed in the standard Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.  The fact that American psychiatry almost totally ignored even the basic reality of the human will had not yet struck me as ridiculous” (178).  He then proceeds to explain in his book how he came to the understanding that there were people who were REALLY EVIL, radically evil, who couldn’t be fixed with a chemical or pill.  And their evil went far beyond anything learned, or anything caused by their environment.  They were at nature, EVIL.  And it was a shock to his system, and his training, his faith.  And he wrote the book saying, “we need to study this phenomenon of evil because it could change our basic outlook on psychiatry.”  And then most interesting is his statement in the introduction (page 11) about how he became a Christian at the age of 43 as he was working on the book. 

            Dr. Peck is not alone.  Many people don’t really believe in evil.  They believe that there are bad people, and even really bad people, like Adolf Hitler, but most of it is caused by their bad environment, or their bad parents, or the bad things that happened to them.  And most people don’t really believe that evil includes them because they are trying harder than the “bad” people.  They don’t understand the sin nature, and realize that all of us are bad because our roots are bad.  That’s why it cannot be “fixed” by pills and counseling.

            We are in a passage today that introduces us to evil.  We get a glimpse here of what sin has done to us, and what it is still trying to do to us, even as believers.  The bottom line is, when Adam and Eve ate the apple the effect was awful.   That act introduced evil into the world.

            The first three chapters of Romans are going to introduce us to two types of sinners, the bad ones, and the good ones.  Remember the story of the “prodigal” son?  He was the sinner who ran away and blew all his dad’s money in Las Vegas.  He’s the kind of guy we normally think of as a “sinner,” the “Hollywood sinner,” the kind they make movies of.  He grew up in a Mafia family and turned out as expected.

            But there was another sinner in that story – his older brother.  His brother never left home, never wasted his dad’s money, never got drunk, took drugs, had sex, hurt anyone, or landed in jail.  And yet, he was a sinner – perhaps as bad or worse than his brother.  No one places him in the category of “sinner” because he is so “good.”  He is the “Stealth sinner.”  He flies under the radar of everyone’s “sinner scopes,” and goes on untouched by judgment.  We are going to talk about both of these types of sinners, since you not only have met both, but have probably gone both directions.

            We are studying today the “Hollywood sinner,” the “Mafia man” and we are going to notice the downward yank of sin.  Evil is like gravity, it can only pull in one direction; and it pulls hard.  When we get to chapter two next Sunday we will study the “Stealth sinner,” the older brother, the Pharisee.

            The first thing we notice here is the huge amount of information available for all people.

I.  Everyone knew enough about God to make wise choices (1:19-21a).  19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 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, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful,

            Notice what these people KNEW.  “What may be known of God is manifest in (plain to) them, for God has shown it (made it plain) to them” (19).  In other words people have the natural capability of receiving what may be known of God.  God has created every one of us with the ability to receive knowledge about Himself.  And He has made knowledge about Himself clear to all.

            “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” (20).  There are certain attributes of God that are unmistakable.   Even though they are “invisible” attributes they can be “clearly seen.”  They are not fuzzy, they are not truths that can only be discovered by exceptionally bright people.  The "invisible things are clearly seen."  In fact they are so clear they are impossible to miss.  That’s why “they are without excuse.” 

            The point is that no one can miss the evidence of God’s attributes.  “How do I know that there is a God?”  His POWER screams at you.  Try jumping out of the Washington Monument.  His power of gravity will scream at you.  Try standing out in the middle of one of His hurricanes.  Try stopping His latest tsunami.  There is incredible power.  Where did it come from?  When you think of the origin of the earth, you have to start with NOTHING.  Dead, silent, empty, nothing.  Where did the incredible power of the sun come from, to burn at extremely high temperatures without being burned up?  Did it come from dead, silent, empty, nothing – by accident?  Survival of the fittest?  Just the energy by itself, where did it come from?  Evolution has no answer.  It’s a display of God’s power.  You can’t miss it.

            And everyone can see God’s “divinity,” or “God-head.”  This word means “God like characteristics,” which would include the wisdom you see in creation, the order, the beauty, the finesse, the incredible complexity that screams intelligent design!  Everyone can see this.  You can’t miss it.  These invisible attributes are clearly seen, are understood by every created being.

            Then it says in verse 21, “although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.”  They knew God.  When humans turned away into sin, it wasn’t because of ignorance.  No one could say, “well, I just didn’t know better.”  .

             “What about people who have never heard, who don’t know?”  What about tribes of very primitive people who have never even heard the name of God?  THERE ARE NO SUCH PEOPLE.  Even the wildest aborigine in the most distant land – is RELIGIOUS!  There are many people who haven’t heard of the death of Christ on their behalf, but there are no people who haven’t seen the power and glory of God in creation.  And that glory by itself, is able to point them in the right direction.              An important question to ask is, “WHY IS THAT ABORIGINE RELIGIOUS?”  If evolution is true and people gradually grow into and develop their religious understanding, why would a “primitive,” more “innocent,” less “sophisticated” individual be religious?  The truth is that some of these distant tribes which evolution would suggest are more “basic” in their understanding of life and religion, are the opposite – intensely complicated in their religion.  Where did they get the idea of a god to worship?

            God gave mankind the natural faculties to study creation, put two and two together, and realize that such a creation requires an infinite Being Who should be worshiped.  All of this is very clearly done, and very easy to find and understand.  There is no mystery here.  In fact things are so clear that God can say that “they are without excuse.”  God has removed all possible claims for ignorance of Himself.  There is no legitimate way for a person to say, “I never had any information about God.”  The truth of the matter is that the information is screaming at them all around.  Every living thing is a miracle.  No one ever turned away from God in ignorance.

The second thing we notice is what people characteristically did with all of this good information about God.

II.  People TURNED from what they knew about God (1:21b, 25, 28).

            21 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.

            25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 

            28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind,

            “When they knew God” – The point is not that men tried to grow in their understanding of God and failed (either because God was too transcendent, or because they didn’t try hard enough).  The point is that men started with a clear knowledge of God’s attributes and something happened.  Something tragic happened. 

            The Fall is described in verse 21:  "they glorified (valued, feared) him not as God, neither were thankful."  The beginning of the turn, the start of the Fall occurred when humans intentionally withheld praise and thanks from the One who is worthy!  A proper response would have lead to further revelation.  People turned and went down hill not because of their ignorance, but because of their choice to reject God’s revelation of Himself.

            That rejection appears in verse 18 when it says that men “hold down the truth,” or suppress the truth.  It means to turn away from it, get it out of your life, go a different direction, shield your eyes from the light, deliberately choose another path.  As verse 28 says, “they did not deem it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God.”  “There must be something better than this,” they say.  “Let’s go find it.”  People choose sin knowingly.

            The simple fact is that sin is a “will” thing.  You can’t blame the devil, even though he is active and encouraging all the sin he can; you can’t blame your parents, even though they may not have raised you properly; you can’t blame God for withholding information you should have known.  In light of all the evidence provided by God, mankind chose to turn away.  Isaiah said it this way: “all we like sheep have gone astray, and have turned every one to his own way . . .”

            Have you ever noticed how we do it?  Have you ever turned from what you knew was right?  Your parents said, “don’t,” and you did.  Your teacher said, “do,” and you didn’t.  The law said, “only this fast,” and you drove as fast as you wanted?  You could have obeyed.  You didn’t want to.  I didn’t either.

The third thing we notice is the tragic result of life that turns from God.

III.  THE RESULT is the appearance of God’s WRATH (1:18, 21c-32).  18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.  This verse assures us that God doesn’t just sit on the sideline and watch ungodliness grow.  He directs His WRATH against it.  But how?  “Is revealed” is a “present” tense verb, which means that it is talking about judgment that comes upon humans right now, not that which will come in the final judgment.

            HOW does God reveal His wrath right now?  When we think about Old Testament examples of God’s judgment we would expect the ground to open up and swallow sinners alive, or lightning to strike them.  But that’s not the method He uses.  Judgment today corresponds with the unique features God has built into us.  We become other than we were designed to be like Rolls Royces trying to drive down railroad tracks.

          A.  We are created for LIGHT (21c-22).  We need light.  Every creation needs light to live and grow.  What happens when we turn away from THE light?  God’s judgment resides in the fact that there are no other “lights.”  When we turn from the ONE light we are left with only one other option – DARKNESS.  You can’t turn away from light and walk in light.  God has created two possibilities – light or darkness.  When you suppress light, you can’t turn to clones of God’s light.  Your options are all dark and darker.  God’s judgment on people who turn from the light is darkness.  What’s so bad about darkness?  It’s like shopping at a jewelry store in the darkness of midnight.  The shop contains million dollar diamonds as well as “dollar store” jewelry.  How do you tell the difference?  You can’t.  And if you live in the darkness, a two dollar ring is going to look as fine as a million dollar one.  Thus your thinking becomes TWISTED.  All price tags in your life change.  Since you can’t see clearly you make crazy decisions about what is valuable.  The more mankind runs from God the darker it gets and the more twisted the thinking becomes.

            Like in the physical world, we are created for LIGHT.  People in Alaska have trouble in the winter, depression, suicide, alcohol, drugs all increase when the light goes down for three months.  Our bodies need sunlight to keep them from jaundice and other disease.  We don’t do well in darkness.  Neither can we operate morally or spiritually in darkness.

            We see the judgment of darkness in verse 21-22: “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. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools.”

            The result was that humans became “futile in their thoughts” when they turned away from God’s revelation.  The word “futile” is the word “empty.”  As a consequence of turning away from God, people begin to focus on worthless things.  When I do not exercise my brain to glorify and thank the awesome Creator (BLESSED be His Name!), my brain is influenced by another to think on worthless things.  As the brain focuses on the worthless, the heart becomes increasingly darkened.

            At the same time, ironically, people think they are becoming wiser!  In fact they are so sure of their growth in wisdom that they assert themselves to be wise (sophists), but became fools (morons) – Sophomores!   Notice the contrast between the profession (apparently really thinking that they were wise) and the reality (every act of profession became more moronic).  As their profession moved more and more away from reality it became spiritual hallucination.

            John 3:19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”  The movement is DOWN, rather than up, turning away, rather than climbing toward, increased darkness rather than increased light.  As Philip Bailey, said, “THE FIRST AND WORST OF ALL FRAUD IS TO CHEAT ONESELF.  ALL SIN IS EASY AFTER THAT” (OTOT, 523).  Darkness tricks us about reality, and it is all downhill after that.

            This is how the wrath of God comes upon human beings – a rather unexpected way.  But the next two forms of wrath from God are even more unusual.  God’s wrath directs sinners to RELIGION, and grants them FREEDOM.

          B.  We are created for worship (23, 25).  As fully as we need light in order to live, we also need worship.  God’s judgment arises by the fact that we must worship.  If we refuse to worship God, what else is there to worship?  It is impossible for us to make ourselves neutral non-worshipers.  Every group of people, every tribe, no matter how remote, is intensely religious.  We are built that way.  As a result, those who refuse to worship God WILL WORSHIP what is less than God. 

            And what did they choose to worship?  We can see it in the word, “change.”  23 And changed (exchanged) the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed (exchanged) the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

            In verse 23 there are three parts to the exchange – “glory” for “an image” – “uncorruptible” for “corruptible” – and “God” for “birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”  Here’s the trade – real glory, something that is real and brilliant, for an image, a picture, an idol, a totem pole.  What is “uncorruptible,” meaning what never changes, never wears out, never rusts, never dies is traded even up for what is “corruptible,” meaning what is temporary and has to be repeatedly painted and fixed up.  And then the exchange is of “God” for animals, birds, beef, and alligators.  What an exchange!

            Do you see the effect of shopping in the jewelry store at midnight?  Why did they make such stupid trades?  Because they had to worship something.  And there were no other options.  It’s either God or garbage.  If humans refuse to worship the One who is worthy of their worship, they will not dis-engage their worship gene; they will scrounge up substitutes.  When God is dumped, something more sinister moves in and takes over.

            Verse 25 gives the end result of their trade – they’ve chosen to worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator!  The Egyptians chose sun worship and animal worship instead of the Creator.  The Romans chose emperor worship.  Americans have chosen the worship of personalities, and money, and things instead of the Creator “who is blessed forever, Amen!”  We’ve all gone down the same trail, making the same stupid exchanges time after time.  In the end we all live out our dismal “lies,” because we have traded in what we had, the “truth of God.”

            How do we know that God has brought His wrath and judgment on humans?  The absolute bewildering confusion of religion.  You can find anything in religion – anything you want.  There are religions that will teach you how to kill yourself.  There are religions that will encourage you to look at the sun until you become blind, all in the name of serving god.  The religious world is total chaos!  And this chaos is the natural, God designed human result of turning from the light – confusion.  Here’s the answer to the question, “where did all these religions come from?”  They were generated by mankind’s rebellion against the revelation of God.  They are all statements of “NO” to God’s gracious display of His power and divinity.  Religion is mankind’s reaction against God’s Revelation.   It is not man reaching for God; it is man running from the reach of God’s revelation after him.

            Emile Durkheim, in his book, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, observed how that the deity of a tribe becomes an animal that symbolically incarnates the collective values of the social group.  In other words, the animal pictures what the group wants, or what the group is, or what the group likes.  Thus, in worshiping such the animal god, the tribe is really worshiping itself!  They become worshipers of characteristics that they like, of pictures of themselves, and in reality their worship turns inward.

            C.  We are created for RESTRAINT (24-32).  Just like we need light, just like we must worship, we need “control.”  Isaiah doesn’t call us “sheep” for nothing.  Sheep can’t make it on their own.  Likewise we need control, help, guidance.  The worst thing that can happen to you is for you to be able to do anything you want to do.  That’s a formula for total disaster.  Ask Jack Whittaker, who won $113 million and whose life is ruined. 

            The phrase which appears three times in this passage is one Greek word that means “to give over to the power of another.”  It refers to God giving people over to the sin which they so desperately want to commit.  God takes His restraints off of them.  They are so committed to their course of disobedience that God says, “OK, I’ll let you go.”  Because of the way we have been created, if we break out of the guidance and restraint that God has set up, we don’t become “free” to do our thing, we become prey to other guidance systems and restraint systems.  “Freedom to do our thing” is not an option; it’s a mirage.  Breaking free from God’s control only makes us available for another “restraint” system to come in and sweep us away.  Thus when God takes His hand of conviction off of someone, He “frees” that individual to come under the total control of sin.

            To sinners God’s judgment looks like FREEDOM (1:24-32).  24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness (dirt) through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.  When God gave them over, the new guidance system that took over was entitled “DIRT.”   26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections.  When God gave them over, the new motivation that took over was entitled “UNCONTROLLABLE DESIRES.”  28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.  When God gave them over, the new thinking process that took over was entitled “INSANITY.”

            People don’t understand the blessing of God’s restraint.  Sin kills; and one of the worst things that God could do is release someone and let him go full-speed into his sin.  You see this process by watching people who have everything, and can do anything.  Do you remember Mickey Mantle?  A great baseball player.  He married Marilyn Monroe.  He had it “all.”  But he ruined his body through alcohol and other things and died early, even after a liver transplant.

            Do you remember John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin?  He had a wife, Pat, two children, Jason and Zoe, a 100-acre farm, a garage full of luxury cars, an annual income of more than $5 million, and he drank himself to death at the age of 32.  Janis Joplin had “everything,” and died of a heroin overdose at 27.  Jimi Hendrix had “everything,” and died of an overdose of sleeping pills at 27.  Elvis Presley (drugs), Keith Moon, drummer for The Who (drugs), Sid Vicious, guitarist for Sex Pistols, died from an overdose of heroin at 21!

            This is "freedom?"  These people could have bought anything they wanted, gone anywhere they wanted, lived any way they wanted, and what did they have?  Nothing worth living for!  Sin took it all away.  With all their money and ability to do anything, they have nothing on you and me!  The restraint of the Lord is wonderful.

            Observe the three different kinds of bondage that result from the “freedom” to sin. 

            1.  Dirt bondage – 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.  Sin brings uncontrollable dirt.  Sin has a power that will fill your life with garbage, garbage that will ruin your body and life.  The word “dishonor” is the word, “insult,” and it means “to ruin.”  Once people dishonor God, the end result is that they insult their own bodies.  Your body is the most valuable possession you have.  Once your body is gone, you are gone.  Why ruin your body?  What’s the sense of that?  But sin makes people so crazy that they don’t care about their bodies in their passion for sin.  That’s why coming to Christ is the best thing for your body.  People who love God are healthier than people who dishonor God, because the result of sin’s “freedom” is dirt.

            2.  Uncontrollable-Desire bondage – 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections.  Sin leads to life out-of-control.  It has a power to put your desires in control of your life so that you become a slave to your wants.  You can’t do anything except what your body demands, desires that become increasingly vile.  Normally people can live with their desires under some kind of control.  Most people can say “no” at least for awhile to some of their desires.  But the more one yields to sin, the more out of control one becomes, so that desires take over and swamp the will.  One cannot do what one wills to do; one can only do what his desires demand.  Life becomes an eternal chase after one’s vile desires.  An example is homosexuality, where individuals "change the natural use into that which is against nature."  There is “natural” sex.  Homosexuality is “unnatural” sex. It’s an example of desires out of control. 

            William Barclay, in his commentary on Corinthians says that “homosexuality swept like a cancer through Greece and from Greece invaded Rome.”  It’s hard to fathom how riddled the ancient world was with it.  Even great men like Socrates and Plato practiced it.  Fourteen out of the first fifteen Roman emperors were homosexual.  When Nero became emperor, he married a boy named Sporus in a full-blown, fancy wedding (from OTOT, 293-4).

            The result of sin’s “freedom is uncontrollable desires.

            3.  Insanity bondage – 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.  Sin leads to mind-out-of-control.  It interrupts your ability to think logically.  Like drugs, it fries your brain and lead to insanity.  You think in strange ways, you see strange things, you live on the basis of strange notions. 

            As a result, life becomes filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

            “Freedom” to sin will fill you with this awful list of horrors.  At the same time it will deceive you into thinking you are experiencing life in its fullness and you will clap over others doing the same.

            It’s like people living in and “feasting” on large amounts of oozing garbage.  The flies the maggots are everywhere, the place stinks, and yet there are these strange people living there and eating everything within sight and thinking they are having the high time of their lives and clapping at everyone else who comes in to join them.  INSANITY RULES AMONG PEOPLE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEMSELVES OVER TO SIN.  Don’t think they are HAPPY.  Don’t think they are GAY.  They are sad, sick, and in great need of help.

            Perhaps some of you can remember the days of confusion, where you moved from one religion to another to another, evaluating, thinking, growing in confidence only to have your confidence destroyed.  You indulged in what you thought would bring you happiness, followed your desires, and found only emptiness.  What a privilege to enjoy the freedom of life in Christ.  What a privilege to find rest, and life, and peace, and usefulness!  Don’t ever go back.  It will be like jumping out of an airplane; it will all be DOWN.

            And I implore those of you who are still caught in the clutches of evil.  Your journey will only be DOWN until you turn to Christ.  He is the only One who can help you.  Sin will completely ruin your body, your emotions and your brain.  Come to Jesus.  Humble yourself before Him.  Admit your sins and ask Him to forgive you.  He will not only forgive you, but He will make you His child and give you power to live a life of joy and peace.

02/27/05 - BBC am