TOG 3

MANKIND

Willfully Ignorant, Passionately Rebellious, Condemned to Death

Based on Romans 1:18-3:20, we could summarize what is said about the sinfulness of mankind in three key ways.

1. Mankind Is Willfully Ignorant

Romans 1:19 ESV

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

What may be known about God is evident among them

Romans 1:20 ESV

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

His invisible attributes...have been clearly seen... being understood

Romans 1:21 ESV

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.

For though they knew God

Romans 1:32 ESV

Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Although they know full well God’s just sentence

*This is the height of evil. Knowing what you are encouraging other to do will lead to their death, yet continuing to encourage them on.

Psalm 19:1–2 ESV

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

DON’T MISS THIS

No one is born an atheist. Atheism is a conscious choice, a reversal. Mankind is not helplessly ignorant or even neutral, but willfully ignorant.

2. Mankind Is Passionately Rebellious

Mankind’s sin in Genesis 1-3 demonstrates a remarkable parallel to Romans 1. God lovingly provided all things for mankind and made Himself and His rule very clear through His goodness and power displayed in creation.

Yet with this overwhelming evidence, what does mankind do according to Romans 1:18-3:30?

-We suppress the truth.

-Refuse to give thanks.

-Worship and serve creation, rather than the Creator.

How does God respond to this rebellion in Romans 1:24, 26 and 28?

-As mankind continues to pull away from God, He delivers them over. What does this phrase mean (Romans 1:24, 26, 28)?

-Note how God is currently judging (vs. 18, “revealed/being re- vealed”) mankind by handing them over to a more worthless mind and greater perversion.

How does Ephesians 4:17-19 further explain this truth about mankind?

Ephesians 4:17–19 ESV

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

3. Mankind Is Condemned to Death

What is the consequence of mankind’s rebellion according to Romans 1?

Romans 1:32: “Deserve to die.”

What was Adam told would be the consequence of his rebellion?

Genesis 2:17 ESV

but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Notice the necessary correlations in our study so far:

CHART

Based on the interaction between mankind and God in Romans 1:18-23, in one sentence we could define sin as...

My rejection of the knowledge of God and His authority over me as my creator as evidenced by my willful ignorance of Him and my passionate rebellion against His commands.

Another Way to Be Lost: The Self-Righteous, Religious Person

Romans 2:1–5 ESV

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

What reasons does he give for saying they are

“without excuse”?

Verse 1: they place themselves in God’s position as Judge (Gen 18:25, Ps. 50:6), yet they sinned in the same way as the Gentiles did (see the Old Testament). Show this by connecting OT stories with the description given in Romans 1.

What is God’s response to their hypocrisy?

-Kindness, restraint, and patience. -Literally, “longsuffering”; God puts up with our hard, unrepentant hearts for years or even decades, showing us His kindness, that we may in the end repent (v. 4). -Note that God’s kindness towards you does not automatically mean he approves of your life.

What is the end of those who continue in this sin?

Verse 5: over the course of their lives, as they continue in unrepentance, God’s wrath is continually building up to be revealed against them on the Last Day.

Romans 10:1–4 ESV

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

What four descriptions does Paul give of the Religious Person in Romans 10:1-4?

-They aren’t saved (v.1) -They have zeal for God (v.2) -They are ignorant of God’s righteousness in Christ (v.3-4) -They seek to establish their righteousness according to works (v. 3)

What is the main problem the Religious Person faces?

They are not submitting to God’s righteousness. They haven’t given up their efforts to be righteous before God by their own merits. “I don’t really need Jesus.” Arrogance: the “Older Son” syndrome.

Be sure to stress the goodness of most of the below actions in themselves, but the sinfulness of the MOTIVATIONS behind the actions.

What would the Religious Person look like in our own day?

Go to church, pray before meals, refuse to participate in certain activities, do “works” like volunteering for youth group, going on mission trips.

TWO WAYS TO BE LOST

“Nearly everyone defines sin as breaking a list of rules. Jesus, though, shows us that a man who has violated nothing on the list of moral misbehaviors can be every bit as spiritually lost as the most profligate, immoral person. Why? Because sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Savior, Lord, and Judge... There are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord. One is breaking all the moral laws and setting your own course, and one is by keeping all the moral laws and being very, very good.”1 (1Tim Keller, The Prodigal God. (New York: Penguin Group, 2011), 43. )

FOR NEXT TIME

READING

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 a minimum of three times. Use a different translation each time if possible. Then answer the questions on the Reading Assignment page.

MEMORIZATION

Ephesians 2:8-10 – Be prepared to write this verse out word-for-word on next week’s quiz.

SURVEY

Survey three people. Come prepared to share your observations with the class next week.