Romans 1:24
24 Wherefore [dio] God [theos] also [kai] gave [paradidomi] them [autos] up [paradidomi] to [eis] uncleanness [akatharsia] through [en] the lusts [epithumia] of their own [autos] hearts
[kardia], to dishonour [atimazo] their own [autos] bodies [soma] between [en] themselves [heautou]: KJV-Interlinear
24 Therefore
God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring
of their bodies among themselves, ESV
Jesus Christ controls history. He controls history
in three ways. First, He controls history directly through the will of His own
power. He created the universe. He
created life, and so forth.
Second, He controls history indirectly through
doctrine. Man learns doctrine and abides
by its rules and principles for the perpetuation of self and humanity. The Laws of Establishment are an integral
part of divine control and doctrine.
Third, God controls history by His permission,
allowing the free will of man to function without interruption and
unhindered. Man thinks and makes
decisions. God allows those decisions,
even when they are terribly wrong. God
never coerces anyone. He warns of the
consequences, but never forces anyone to change or go His way.
God is truth.
God makes the lies of this world clear. But man has to want to see the
truth, and if man does not want to see truth, then there is nothing that can be
done, except to keep on making truth available and then perhaps one day the
person will come around.
Then there comes a time when God simply knows that
nothing is going to change.
You and I cannot make that decision, because we
cannot see into the soul of others, and we cannot see in to their future. But God has all of the facts, past, present,
and future. And even though God knows
from eternity past, that someone will fail, He still aids them, with truth
during their life, until they have sufficiently demonstrated their permanent resistance,
and then allows them to go their own way.
God never forces anyone down the wrong path. But God will let people choose the wrong
path, on their own.
But remember one important principle, people are
without excuse. Truth is always
available and everyone, one way or another is aware of truth, just as they make
their wrong choices, in rejecting truth.
All eyes are wide open, as it were, and no one can
later on say, that they did not know, or that no one told them, or that no one
warned them, or if they had known the results, then they would have done things
differently. Not so.
Lusts, impure hearts, and dishonored bodies, speak
of wrong intent, wrong thoughts, and wrong results. Their entire essence is wrong, from beginning
to end. They wanted something, they
decided for it, and they did it. And
this is a picture of a total life collapse of the individual who rejects truth. This is a picture of anyone's life, when
Bible doctrine is ignored or rejected.
God has rules.
The rules of life are strict but very simple to follow.
It actually takes more effort to reject truth and
keep on rejecting truth, than to follow truth.
The rewards of rejection are harsh. The rewards of compliance with doctrine are
phenomenal.
Why then is it so difficult for most of the world
to see this?
And the answer is that it is not difficult, it is
arrogance and the forces that drive it, and the persons resolve to pursue evil.
Humanity has experienced every circumstance
imaginable, in history, and in every situation, there are people who have
chosen against truth, but too there are those who have chosen for truth, so
right choices are always possible. No
circumstance, or situation makes truth or right choices unattainable.
Truth and right choices are always within reach.
