Our Moral Life and Knowing God
I. Our Relationship with God - Romans 1:18-27
- A. Knowing God in the gospel - Rom. 1:16-17
- 1. God's righteousness - faith - Life - godliness - 1 Tim. 3:16;
2 Pet. 1:3
- B. Rejecting God's manifestation of Himself
- 1. Outwardly in His creation - Rom. 1:19-20
- 2. Inwardly in our conscience - Rom. 1:18-19, 21
- C. The proper responses to God's manifestation
- 1. Glorifying Him - Rom. 1:21
- 2. Thanking Him - Rom. 1:21
- D. The improper responses to God's manifestation
- 1. Suppressing the truth in an evil life-style - Rom. 1:18
- 2. Resorting to reasoning - Rom. 1:21
- a) Reasoning and the heart - Eph. 4:17-19; Mark 7:21; Rom. 2:15;
1 Tim. 2:8; Phil. 2:13-14
- 3. Being proud and replacing God with idolatry - Rom. 1:22-23, 25;
Col. 3:5-6
- E. The results of reasoning and rejecting God
- 1. A darkened heart - Rom. 1:21
- 2. Given up to dishonor their bodies - Rom. 1:24
- 3. Given up to do things against God's natural laws - Rom. 1:26-27
- 4. Receiving a "kickback" and penalty in their personality
- Rom. 1:27b
- 5. Given up to a reprobate mind to do and approve of things against
proper morality
- - Rom. 1:28, 32
II. Our Relationship with Others - Romans 1:28-32
- A. The "kickback" and penalty of unrighteousness in man's
personality
- 1. Injustice done to others - Rom. 1:29
- a) Unrighteousness; wickedness; covetousness; malice
- 2. Injury to others - Rom. 1:29
- a) Full of envy; murder; strife; deceit; malignity
- 3. Pride - Rom. 1:30a
- a) Whisperers; backbiters; haters of God; despiteful; proud; boastful
- 4. The extinction of all natural feeling - Rom. 1:30b-32
- a) Inventors of evil things; disobedient to parents; senseless;
faithless; without natural affection; merciless; without any conscience.