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“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”  Romans 1:24-25

As you read through the Bible—and I hope you do regularly—there are some events that can be hard to relate to in our modern world. Especially in the Old Testament. I think of Korah and his fellow power-mongers rebelling against God only to be swallowed up alive by the ground (Numbers 16). Or a talking donkey setting straight a man of God gone astray (Numbers 22). Then there’s Jonah getting swallowed by a huge fish so he would repent of his disobedience to evangelize his enemies (Jonah). Then, when we get to the New Testament and the letters to the first-century Church, it’s easy to compartmentalize the events and messages into, “Well, that was a long time ago—this stuff’s not relevant in 2024.”

Friend, all we have to do is read any letter from the Apostle Paul to see that nothing has changed in human society. Not sure if they were having parades or not, but people were giving in to sexual passions contrary to God’s order (Romans 1:26-27). Unwanted babies were being killed for convenience and prosperity’s sake, whether sacrificed to the fiery arms of a false god or abandoned to die. Romans 1:28-32 is one of many succinct lists of depravity “back then”: wickedness, greed, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, disobedient to parents, untrustworthy, unfeeling, unmerciful, and inventors of evil. That about covers it—and we’re all listed in there somewhere.

Humanity’s bottom-line sin thinking is this: “I don’t need to worship God. I’m in charge of my own life.” But then—and now—something will always be placed on the personal altar of worship—the earth, the stars, sex, money…sports, alcohol, climate change…self. From the beginning, we were made to worship God. But it didn’t take long for us to want to put ourselves in the place of God (um, just ask Adam and Eve). And as soon as we believe this hissed lie that “you can be like God,” it’s so easy to give in to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). It’s been happening since the dawn of Man and continues through today. There’s no sin or false god or temptation that’s new. And we all sin (whether gossip or adultery, drunkenness or greed, slander or murder) and fall short of the perfect worship and living that God requires (Romans 3:23).

And praise the Lord, just as throughout the New Testament, the message of hope has not changed either: But God, rich in mercy, sent Jesus to live the perfect life we could not, pay the penalty we deserve, and rise again in victory over sin and death. He traded our sin for His perfect righteousness, so we don’t have to be slaves to sin anymore (Isaiah 53:5; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 3:18). In surrender to God (through Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit) as the sole recipient of our worship, the lies of the enemy fall apart. The Lord then and now is patient for our repentance—He is still the same as He ever was. His kindness leads us to Him, and His grace is freely offered. Won’t you too give up the gods and ways of this broken world and give yourself over to Him?

“Lord, thank You for Your kindness, patience, and grace. Although sin has been present since the garden, Your victory gives us power over it—and one day, we’ll be completely free of it. May those who are shackled by the lies of the enemy surrender to Jesus now…so they’ll never be the same.

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life