Today's Passage - Romans 1:21-23

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 1:21-23   "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."   Because Paul talked about the truth of justification by faith, he first pointed out the sin of the world and people.  One must first know his own sin because his heart becomes eager for salvation.  Why do sinful people need salvation?  Because the fury of God will come upon all those are not pious and righteous.  Although our body will die, our soul - without any exception - will go through judgment by God, and the only way to solve the problem of sin is for God to proactively solve it for us.  Sin is basically self-centeredness; devil Satan went astray because he wanted to ascend to be heaven to be equal to the Most High.  The devil also tempted Eve to be like God, and such self-centeredness is the essence of sin.     Self-centeredness eventually evolved to believing that we are the center of the universe and there's no room for God.  Philosopher Nietzsche once said that it would be terrible if there's a god in the world but he is not that god.  Since the beginning of time, people have used all means to deny the existence of God.  Paul has pointed out that the greatest sin of men is to know that there is God but do not thank Him nor glorify Him as God.  Unbelief is indeed the greatest sin; everyone has sinned in big or small ways, and from God's perspective we all deserve to perish.  God, however, instituted salvation in the way that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ may be saved and those who don't believe will be judged.  One would perish not because of disbelief, but because of his sin and the fact that disbelief caused him not to receive salvation.  Therefore, if a person commits murder and arson, even though he might be imprisoned and put to death and his body might die, his soul would be saved if he had ever genuinely repented and accepted salvation.  On the contrary, if a person act and lives righteously, but does not believe in Jesus, he will perish after death, thus unbelief is the greatest sin.   Because of unbelief, people would reject the possibility that the universe was created by God.  Therefore, people began to worship idols or false gods, or even replace theory of evolution to replace God's creation.  Paul said that they "claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."  Do you understand God's creation?  Are you giving God the glory that He deserves?  May God help us, don't be one who rejects the grace of God.                                                                        Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank you because you have chosen us first, and you love us.  Please put faith inside us so that we can start trusting you today.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!