for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. [romans 1:21]
we can all think of someone in our lives or at least in our world who is described perfectly by this text. the friend who we have shared the gospel with and they “hear” it, saying, “sure, i believe in God,” but continue living as before, unchanged in any way. the people group who openly reject and rebel against God’s good design for the world. the world leader who rules for his own selfish gain and rise to power. so many millions of lost and rebellious souls, futile in their thinking, with darkened, foolish hearts, because they refuse to honor and give praise to their Creator.
our hearts should be stirred to righteous anger over this refusal. God deserves every ounce of every heart. God is worthy of every breath being poured out in praise to him, for his glory and for his goodness! God’s justice says, “uphold what is good,” and what is good is his name. God has placed in us this same sense of justice, and so having seen the goodness of his name, we long to see him receive the praise he is due.
but something else should be stirred in our hearts over this refusal. and it stems from the fact that this verse describes us before Christ. we knew God, yet we did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but we became futile in our thinking, and our foolish hearts were darkened. we are not the exception to the depravity of man. therefore, our hearts should be filled with longing compassion for the lost. we were once just as rebellious, and we were once dwelling in the domain of darkness.
and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [eph 2:1-3]
those who continue in their rebellion against a holy and righteous God will bear the punishment for their folly. they remain under the wrath of his judgment by their own refusal to bend their knee. the responsibility lies with them, therefore the consequence falls on them. God’s justice is upheld when he pours out his wrath on sin. otherwise, there would be no justice, there would be no righteousness, there would be only chaos, no standard of truth. the world would explode or probably not have existed at all! praise the God of all goodness and righteousness who upholds the world by the perfect word of his power! all his ways are just!
we, like every other rebel, were once under the wrath of God’s judgment. we know what it was like to be separated from him, to feel the state of condemnation, unable to commune with him in his glorious presence. we should be the most compassionate people toward the lost because we have been graciously plucked out of that domain of darkness!
but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. for by grace you have been saved through faith. and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [eph 2:4-9]
o, the depths of the mercy of God! we received his righteousness through no merit of our own, chosen in Christ simply because he wanted to place his love upon us. we were dead. we could not choose him or honor him or thank him or love him without a miraculous resurrected heart.
and so for those in our fallen world who have not yet received a heart of flesh to replace their heart of stone,
- we pray. we pray for new life. we pray for that heart of flesh, it is only a work God can do! we pray daily, like the persistent widow (luke 18), and we trust that God will melt hearts of stone.
- we go. in love and compassion, we seek out those who have not tasted and seen that the Lord is good. having feasted on his word and having been filled with his Spirit, we communicate God’s love through the gospel of his Son, Jesus Christ. we long for them to be free from the domain of darkness and to know the love of God the way we know the love of God. we long for life in them!
- we do not grow weary. walking obediently to spread the gospel is a joyous life long work. but it doesn’t always feel joyful. there are times of rejection, times of mourning, times of discouragement, along with times of exuberant praise for the fruit we see the Lord bring about. but high or low, we fix our eyes on our Savior, and stay the course as he did, because the joy set before him is the same joy set before us… the bride of Christ, dwelling with him forever, with inexpressible joy!
- we return. Jesus healed ten lepers and changed the entire trajectory of their lives. but only one returned to thank him. [luke 17] let us be like the one, and return to him in thanks when we see him move, when we see him breathe new life into people, and when we see the gospel go out powerfully. we celebrate the work he is doing in us and through us!
for i am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the jew first and also to the greek. [romans 1:16]
~arwen eastman