Introduction: Have you ever thought about how much a belief in
righteousness by faith shapes your entire view of God? Consider that
righteousness by faith (grace) means that all human effort is flawed.
Only God is perfect. This not only says something about how I am
saved, but it says something about how I should view others. It says
something about how I should view God’s role in the universe. Our
study this week about the “human condition” starts us down this road
of considering the larger view of grace. Let’s dive in and learn what
the Bible has to teach us!
- No Excuse
- Read Romans 1:18-20. Paul describes two things. First, he
describes truth suppressors. Second, he describes why the
truth cannot be suppressed. How do humans attempt to
suppress the truth? (By their godlessness and wickedness.) - Do you see this in society today? (I worry that
wickedness is gaining the upper hand. Not only are
Biblical principles dealing with life and sexual
relations scorned, but there is a growing movement to
suppress the speech of those who believe in Biblical
principles.) - Do you see a rise in “godlessness?” (This has
been surveyed. The number of people who do not
believe in God is on the rise.) - What do these verses say that gives us hope? (The
truth about God cannot be successfully suppressed.
The existence of God and His divine nature are clear
in His creation. The idea that the heavens and earth
came about by chance and natural selection is
ludicrous. For the most part, humans can simply
observe and describe the laws of nature, they cannot
explain how they work. It defies logic to think that
such incredibly complex laws came about by chance. If
they did come about by chance, what a stupid group we
humans are if we cannot figure out how they work.) - Does any human have an excuse for not believing in
God? (No. The Bible says that there are no excuses.) - Read Romans 1:21-23. What have illogical humans refused to
do? (They did not thank God or give glory to Him.) - What is the result of not acknowledging God as the
Creator of the Universe? (This muddles the mind of
the atheist. Smart people do stupid things like
creating images that look like humans or animals and
then they worship them.) - In my neighborhood, I don’t see any one bowing
down to an idol. Have humans become smart
enough to at least not do that? (The atheist’s
failure of logic is not recognizing God. I
think human logic, human theories, have become
the new idols. We don’t create an image that
looks like a person or animal, we create an
image on paper or electronically in the form of
an argument against God.) - Consider how the idea of grace fits in here. If we
think our works have something to do with our
salvation, are we like those who make idols with
their own hands? - Read Romans 1:24-25. What is the result of rejecting the
Creator God? (God “gave them over” to sexual impurity.) - Read Romans 1:26-27. What specific sexual sin is mentioned
that arises from rejecting God? (Homosexuality.) - Why do you think that Paul mentions homosexual sex as
the natural result of rejecting God? Why does it
follow worshiping images that look like animals and
humans? (Paul argues for common sense. How can you
look at the creation and not believe that there is a
God? How can a human worship something that he made?
How can humans look at the way males and females were
designed and conclude that homosexual sex is normal?) - What do you think Paul means when he says that those
who engage in homosexual sex “receive in themselves
the due penalty?” Is there some automatic punishment
that is inherent in this sin? - Read Romans 1:28. What does this tell us is at the bottom
of a “depraved mind?” (A mind that does not “think it
worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God.” If you do not
know God, if you do not want to know and understand God’s
will for you, then your mind becomes depraved.) - Read Romans 1:29-31. As you look over this list, do you
see any of your sins mentioned? - Paul seems to be describing a slide into evil. First,
rejecting God and replacing Him with idols. Next,
homosexual sex. Next, this long list of sins. Does
this mean that the sins in the long list are worse
than homosexuality? (There is a world-wide debate
over normalizing homosexual sex under secular law. If
Paul is telling us that homosexual sex is no worse
than being “insolent, arrogant and boastful,” then
the question of what the law should prohibit becomes
a lot more complex.) - Read Romans 1:32. What sin is described here? (It is also
a sin to “approve of those who practice” sin. We cannot be
in a position of approving the practice of sin.) - No Judgment
- Read Romans 2:1. When I asked you if you recognized one of
your sins in that long list of sins, what would Paul
expect you to answer? (Paul says we have some of those
sins in our life.) - Can we call sin by its right name? Or, is that the
same as “passing judgment?” (We can call sin by its
right name. Indeed, Paul just did. What we cannot do
is “pass judgment on someone else.”) - Why not? (Because we do the same things.)
- Remember in the introduction we talked about a larger
view of grace? How does a true understanding of grace
help us in dealing with sin in others? (When we
clearly understand the grandeur of God, and the
pitiful nature of humans, we have “no excuse” for
passing judgment on others because we are then
“condemning” our sinful self!) - Read Romans 2:2-3. What should those who pass judgment on
others expect? (That God will judge them for their sins.
We must acknowledge that we are sinful humans.) - Read Romans 2:4. For a very long time I’ve been a part of
local church leadership. In the “old days” we disciplined
those engaged in adultery. I recall reading the church
handbook which said that the purpose of the discipline was
to shock the sinner into repenting and returning to right
behavior. What does this verse say is God’s approach? (It
appears to say just the opposite: “God’s kindness leads
you toward repentance.”) - Notice the hard line here: if we do not understand
that grace reflects God’s “kindness, tolerance and
patience” towards us, we are showing “contempt” for
God! - Read Romans 2:5. What stubborn and unrepentant attitude is
Paul referring to? (The last few verses refer to passing
judgment on others. Have you ever thought that passing
judgment on others when you are a sinner makes you
“unrepentant” and one who “stores up wrath?”) - Some may answer that Paul previously wrote about
those who deny the existence of God. Is Paul writing
about them when he promises a coming wrath? (Notice
the common core here. Those who refuse to acknowledge
God are similar to those who refuse to acknowledge
the grace of God. Both positions show contempt for
His power.) - How Big is Grace?
- Read Romans 2:6-11. Now read Romans 3:21-24. Has Paul
forgotten in chapter 3 what he wrote in chapter 2? Are
these not diametrically opposed statements? Is Paul now
showing contempt for the power of God? - Let’s see if we can reconcile Paul’s statements.
Assume that you do not have a “grace” attitude and
you think you are better than others. Will you feel
the need to repent? (No.) - Instead, if you realize that you are mired in sin
just like these others, will you repent? (I think so.
Grace drives us to our knees and causes us to want to
bring glory to God.) - Read Romans 3:10-12. If God’s judgment is based on good
works, where do we stand? (This proves that Paul cannot be
arguing for righteousness by works in Romans 2:6-10.) - Read Romans 3:19-20. How does this fit into the “do not
judge” section of the previous chapter? (This shows us
that grace is not simply a method of salvation, it is an
attitude that permeates everything we do. Grace teaches us
not to judge others because we cannot survive a true
judgment.) - Read Romans 3:27-28. What place is there for an attitude
of superiority for our righteous life? What place is there
for an attitude of judgment? (There is no place for this.
We are justified by grace alone. We are all terrible
people. Grace teaches us gratitude for what Jesus has done
for us.) - Friend, will you examine your heart for a judgmental
attitude? I confess that as I was writing this lesson, I
had to stop and ask for forgiveness as I recalled times
when I was judgmental towards others. - Next week: Justification by Faith.
