Brentwood Hills

“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 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; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. ” (Romans 1:23-32)

I have included a large portion of scripture in this message for two reasons.

1 - Paul describes that man, without God’s intervention, would be on a continual spiral deeper and deeper into sin. This is marked by the three appearances of the the phrase “God gave them up.” This does not mean that God couldn’t help them. It is simply stating that God did not prevent them from acting the way they wanted to. Therefore, man wallers around in his depravity rather than lifting himself up by spiritually evolving.

2 - I include the lengthy list that Paul uses so that we as fellow sinners do not attempt to judge others by comparing them to ourselves. A person may say, “I would never murder someone!” But is that same person saying this in pride?

Paul’s point, and mine, is that all men (both Jew and Gentile) are under the curse of sin. No one would escape the whirlpool of depravity without the grace of God.