Sermon Tone Analysis

Romans 1:22-23.

"Manifestation of Glory"

Safe Haven Community Church.

Sunday June 12th, 2022.

Romans 1:22-23.

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

(ESV)

For over a century, Eerdmans has been an important institution within the broader evangelical movement, publishing both academic and popular works in Christian theology, biblical studies, religious history, social and cultural issues, and spirituality.

Fully known as the: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, it was known as a prominent publisher since its founding in 1911, but this month has posted a reading list of books for Christians to consider for LGBTQ Pride Month.

The list includes six books, one of which is currently available for preorder.

That title, "In the Margins: A Transgender Man's Journey with Scripture" by Shannon T.L. Kearns, will release in August of this year and reflects "on well-known biblical narratives-such as Jacob wrestling with the divine, Rahab and the Israelite spies, Ezekiel and the dry bones, and the transfiguration of Jesus."

"In each chapter, Shannon shows how stories have helped him make sense of his own identity, and how those same stories can unlock the transformative power of faith for those willing to listen with an open mind and stand alongside him in the in-between," the book's description says.

Denny Burk, theologian, professor, and president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, said, "Eerdmans joins the great falling away.

This isn't a surprise for those who have been seeing the books Eerdmans produces.

But it is grievous to watch a once great Christian publisher celebrate wickedness."

(https://churchleaders.com/news/426169-historic-evangelical-publisher-posts-reading-list-for-pride-month.html/2)

Institution after institution that once firmly stood on God's Word has progressively accommodated itself to the intellectual foolishness of the world system.

Here in Romans 1, the Apostle Paul is dealing with the nature of the word system reflected in idolatry.

How can intelligent people turn to idolatry?

Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God.

Instead of looking to Him as the Creator and sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe.

They soon invent gods that are convenient projections of their own selfish plans and decrees.

These gods may be wooden figures, or they may be things we desire-such as money, power, (worldly safety) or comfort.

They may even be misrepresentations of God himself-a result of making God in our own image, instead of the reverse.

The common denominator is this: Idolaters worship the things God made rather than God himself.

It is a tendency that we must constantly watch for in ourselves.

(Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1992).

Romans (p.

30).

Tyndale House Publishers.)

People are religious beings, and if they refuse to let God have the place of preeminence that is rightfully His, then they will put something or someone in God's place.

We need not look further to the answer of any question about what "ought" to be done as to this dethroning of God.

People tend to base their view of themselves and the belief of what "ought" to happen on their feelings.

Even among professing Christians, they often answer objective moral questions not based on God's expectations from His Word but on their own feelings.

In a mistaken understanding of humility they say things like: "it seems to me" or "I feel that" or "wouldn't it be easier if" or worst of all: "To me, God is a god of (such & such)" Instead of manifesting God's glory in our belief, words, or actions, we dethrone God and put our own subjective feelings and understandings on their throne in a modern reworking of idolatry.

Since God has Manifested His Glory, in Romans 1 Paul continues to specify reasons why they, and every person born except Jesus Christ, fully deserve to be under God's wrath.

He has thus far outlined God's Revelation (Romans 1:19-20), and Humanity's Rejection (Romans 1:21) and now in Romans 1:22-23 he specifies how the rejection of God's Manifestation of Glory is seen through 1) Humanity's Rationalization (Romans 1:22), and 2) Humanity's Religion (Romans 1:23).

The rejection of God's Manifestation of Glory is seen through:

1) Humanity's Rationalization (Romans 1:22)

Romans 1:22.

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools (ESV)

In rejecting God's clear revelation of Himself through His creation, humanity failed to honor and glorify God, failed to give Him thanks, became futile in their philosophical speculations, and became foolish and darkened in their hearts (Romans 1:19-21).

Trying to justify themselves, they rationalized their sin, just as fallen humanity still does today.

Claiming/Professing to be wise about God, about the universe, and about themselves, they became still greater fools (cf.

v. 21d).

As in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, folly (cf.

'their senseless minds' in verse 21) implies moral stupidity rather than mere deficiency in intelligence.

(Bruce, F. F. (1985).

Romans: an introduction and commentary (Vol.

6, p. 91).

InterVarsity Press.).

Refusal to acknowledge and glorify God leads to a downward path: first, worthless thinking; next, moral insensitivity; and then, religious stupidity (seen as an example here in idol-worship) (Witmer, J. A. (1985).

Romans.

In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol.

2, p. 443).

Victor Books.)

David declared that people who deny God and His truth are fools (Ps.

14:1; 53:1), and it is that very foolishness that deludes them into thinking they are wise.

The unredeemed person cannot think perfectly about anything.

Their thinking is perverted most severely in the spiritual and divine realm, because that is where his sinful rebellion is centered.

These things are also beyond their human perception and since they reject revelation, they have no hope of coming to truth in themselves.

Their foolish speculations therefore go the furthest astray when philosophizing about their origin, purpose, and destiny and about the origin and meaning of the universe in which they live.

The mind devoid of God's truth has no way to discriminate between truth and falsehood, between right and wrong, between the significant and the trivial, between the truly beautiful and the monstrous, or between the temporary and the eternal.

The greatest fool in all the world is the person who exchanges God's wisdom of truth and light for the human wisdom of deceit and darkness.

The irony here is intentional and heavy: people claim to be wise, to have achieved the appropriate balance between their theoretical (rational) knowledge and its practical application.

But their lives demonstrate the contrary, that their conduct does not match what they know of God.

The tragedy is that they do not recognize the disparity: despite this folly they still claim to be wise; their futility is the measure of their wisdom (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-25; TDNT 4:845-47; 7:521) (Dunn, J. D. G. (1988).

Romans 1-8 (Vol.

38A, p. 60).

Word, Incorporated.).

Please turn to 1 Corinthians 1

The late Martyn Lloyd Jones perceptively wrote, "The whole drift toward modernism that has blighted the church of God and nearly destroyed its living gospel may be traced to an hour when men began to turn from revelation to philosophy."

Thinking they are wise, they have become fools because their own speculations can't replace the revelation they reject.

These dominating worldly speculations often infect the church.

Because, for example, gifted and articulate unbelievers have so long and loudly touted evolution as scientific fact rather than philosophical theory, many Christians have been intimidated into accommodating their theology accordingly.

In the name of theistic evolution or progressive creationism, they not only compromise scientific integrity but also, and infinitely more disastrously, compromise God's revelation.

They accept the unfounded foolishness of unregenerate people above the flawless truth of God's Word.

In a similar approach, many Christians try to adapt God's revelation to human speculations in the areas of the mind and soul.

Intimidated by the ever-changing and mutually-conflicting theories of psychology, sociology, and anthropology, they foolishly modify or exchange the truths of God's revelation about humanity in favor of humanity's absurd conjectures about themselves.

In 1 Corinthians 1, the Apostle Paul explains the nature of this accommodation:

1 Corinthians 1:18-31.

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."

20 Where is the one who is wise?

Where is the scribe?

Where is the debater of this age?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

(ESV)

* Christians are often intimidated to speak up against so called public experts.

We hide out light under a bushel intimidated of the light show that the world seeks to entertain with.

But upon closer examination, it's just smoke and mirrors.

The clear, pure, true and eternal light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is God's designed means to enlighten those in darkness.

We make the mistake of boasting on our friendliness or even worse, our inherent goodness, when our only boast should be that we are loved by God, He has given us His wisdom in His word, redeemed us from our foolishness, continues to instruct and correct and only on the day we are in His presence, will we perfectly know Him and His wisdom.

Illustration: Foolishness

If you value other things more than God, if your life is really driven by another value, then you exchange the imperishable for the perishable.

You trade the diamond for a peach forgotten at the back of the refrigerator.