DEVOTIONAL

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” Romans 1:18-20 NASBS

The word of God is perfect and holy; It is complete and able to guide us into all righteousness. It declares to us that man is fallen and unable to know God apart from divine grace, which is only given by God Himself and brought about through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is a warning to all humanity that everyone is under eternal judgment from the time of their birth and will one day be condemned to hell. The scriptures declare to the world, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” The scriptures are clear that no one can keep the righteous standard of God’s perfect law because it demands justice upon all who are born of flesh and blood.

But thanks be to God, it does not leave us under this condemnation but points us to Jesus Christ, God’s only beloved Son. You see, He was sent into this world to save sinners, of which I am the foremost. For in regeneration, a man is drawn out of the darkness of sin into the marvelous light of God. He receives understanding within his spirit concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I do not say this out of a sense of pride, but rather out of desperate need. That is, I see in my flesh a principle of evil that has the capacity, apart from any restraints, to glorify the sinful passions of this world and to satisfy the inordinate desires that lurk within my heart. I do not justify these fallen passions, but rather seek to bring them subject to the word of God. In by doing so, I might bring glory to God through obedience and not allow unrepentant sin to destroy the life that God has given me here on this earth. You see, everything that we see here in this life has an origin, a beginning for which things come into being. It would be insane to think anything less when it comes to the complexity of human life. And I bear witness that the teaching of the Bible corresponds perfectly with sinful human nature and that there is no salvation than that which comes through Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

Now, concerning the rebirth, Paul, looking into his own life, teaches us that every believer has a real struggle with sin. He says, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin. For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me.” He later says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” This is a clear passage that teaches us every believer will struggle with fallen passions, but also, every true Christian will always long for the purity of God’s word to form their lives. Understand that a person left to themselves without being regenerated by the Holy Spirit will never truly know why they were created because they are conquered by their corrupt desires. Sadly, they spend much of their lives trying to conceal them in their secret thought life, hoping that no one will ever find them out. Therefore, if you are lost and know not the Son of God, come and drink from the fountain of living water, turn to Him and be saved. May God help you do so.