Refer to Romans 1:18-2:16
Maybe you get lost in all of Paul’s examples. Perhaps you like to pull out certain “sins” to point to other people. That sort of reading severely misses the point. Paul tries to bring emotion into this discussion—a preacher’s trick. The point isn’t that other people sin. The point is sin is everywhere.
And everyone deserves to die—that is, be apart from God. The definition of hell for some people.
Paul must deal with the Law. Jewish Law, not Roman law. He must bring together a group of Jesus followers who come from different cultures. I bet they were suspicious of each other. I bet they were suspicious of each other when they first began to meet secretly to share their experiences of Jesus.
Why does Paul begin this way?
We will never change until we become aware of the need for change. We must become aware of our ignorance before we begin to study and find a teacher. We must become aware of our physical health before we search out and begin to practice health-building practices such as eating nutritional meals, getting physical activity, sleeping well. We must become aware of the shortcomings of our relationships and spiritual direction before we search out ways to get in touch with the Spirit.
This will lead to faith—the next step on the journey. It touches on one of the manifestations of grace that John Wesley taught—that grace that is always there ready for us to see and infuse into our lives.
Prevenient Grace – This is the grace that “goes before” and precedes human response to God. Wesley believed this grace is given to all people universally, enabling them to recognize their need for God and making it possible for them to respond to the gospel. It counteracts the effects of original sin and restores some measure of free will.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 