Day 2
Today’s reading: Romans 1:16-32
A Yielding Heart
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A Yielding Heart 〰️
Reflections
The wrath of God, as Paul explains, is His judgment against unrighteousness. It is not merely a display of anger but a righteous response to sin. One way God passes His judgment is by abandoning a person to their sinfulness and allowing them to persist in it. This only leads to greater depravity.
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus speaks of the unforgivable sin: the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. This refers to attributing the work of God to Satan or failing to acknowledge God’s work altogether. Paul touches on a similar idea here. When people refuse to recognize God as Creator, despite the evidence of His handiwork in creation, or worse, attribute His works to human effort or science alone, it exposes a hardened heart. Such a heart is resistant to the truth and incapable of yielding to God’s saving power.
At this point, God’s judgment takes the form of withdrawal. When one persistently rejects Him, God allows them to follow their chosen path, a path that leads away from His presence. This abandonment is both a consequence and a reflection of their refusal to acknowledge Him.
Study Questions
In 1:18, how can men suppress the truth about God?
What is meant by the phrase “God gave them over…”?
Look at the list of unrighteous vices in 1:24-31, do you see any vice that you regularly indulge in, currently or previously? What does this tell you about the state of humanity?
What did you learn about God’s nature, His ways and His will from today’s reading?
Highlight
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20 ESV
