Romans 1

2 Key points that I draw from Chapter 1 of Romans:

1.Paul begins with encouragement to the Roman church:

11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

He was not only an encourager, but also recognized the ability of the church to encourage him.

My spin is that as much as our church leadership encourages us through teaching and preaching, we have a responsibility to be an encouragement to our leadership.  Take some time in the coming days to encourage our leadership.

2.Second, Paul issues a warning against holding the truth in unrighteousness and the downward spiral that is a result.  Please forgive me for my lengthy.  I actually went back in my archives and pulled from something I wrote previously in relation to this passage.

This passage always reminds me of humanistic teaching in which relativism has its roots.  It is the removal of God's absolutes to focus on the human side of reasoning.  Paul says in vs 23: and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Please allow me to elaborate in my own way:

What is relativism?  Relativism is "a theory, especially in ethics or aesthetics, that conceptions of truth and moral values are not absolute but are relative to the persons or groups holding them" (American Heritage Dictionary). Acceptance and tolerance of all lifestyles are the result of moral relativism.  College classrooms are awash with instruction in relativism, leaving many with feelings of guilt if they dare to disagree with another's moral tenets.  Moral relativism is given many names, including "cultural diversity" and "cultural awareness".  The paradox of moral relativism is that in its effort to ensure acceptance for all ideas it must inherently respect those that believe in absolutes. Otherwise, the very basis of the theory is completely eradicated.  How, then, can one be a proponent of appeasing the masses, but yet argue so vehemently against those that hold fast to absolutes?  The reason is that moral absolutes have become so foreign and negative to their thinking that they only see foolishness in absolute principles.  They see foolishness in moral absolutes because they have created an environment of blurred values in their pursuit of humanistic reasoning and hedonism.  This pursuit of pleasure coupled with political correctness does not give place to feelings of guilt.

Paul references moral relativism and humanistic approach to reasoning in Romans 1:20-32.  Moral relativism is not new, but has existed since the early stages of human reasoning.  Paul wrote that it all stems from a denial of God.  Each one of us has to recognize an outside influence to our existence, but we are given a choice to accept or deny that existence.  Referencing those that rejected the knowledge of God, Paul wrote that "by professing themselves to be wise, they became fools".  Paul wrote that "God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves" (sexual immorality and perverted lifestyles).  Isn't it amazing that the very ideology of which Paul wrote, we see today?

Jesus informed Thomas in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life.  He is the foundation of all absolute principles.  Jesus is the measurement by which we align our existence.  If we want the power of God working effectively in our lives, we must look to the creator.

I am reminded of a quote I once read:

"He who floats with the current, who does not guide himself according to higher principles, who has no ideal, no convictions – such a man is a mere article of the world's furniture – a thing moved, instead of a living and moving being – an echo, not a voice." – Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss Philosopher

If you are not guided by Biblical principles, you will be vulnerable to the currents of change.  You will constantly find yourself being moved by every new idea or fad, a follower and never a leader. You will either become an echo or a voice in life.  An echo is merely an imitation, but a voice is something real.  People, who are voices, can and will have an impact in their sphere of influence.

God's word is the foundation of all moral absolutes, but obedience to the word is the ingredient that will temper or solidify the foundation in our life.  If we do not learn to obey, then our foundation will be weak and it will crumble when confronted with the world's ideology.  However, if we obey God's principles, we will have a foundation that will not falter when it is assaulted in the classroom, work place, and every day life.

Jeff McGee