Praize Blogs

V.18 - The dark understanding does not have anything to do with their cognitive skills. They see, hear, and know according to the worlds standards, but they lack spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Even Gentiles who attend churches regularly have no clue about the reality and power of God. They don’t know they are on the straight path to destruction because their eyes are blinded by the wicked one. Let’s read Romans 1:18-21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”  This means that everyone knows of God, but since they choose to reject Jesus as Savior, they are turned to the futility of their own minds.

V.19 - What we are fighting against when we evangelize the lost is the futile, ineffective thought processes they use to convince themselves they are fine without God. They have given up the truth of whom and what God is, and He has turned them over to their own lusts.

This is why making excuses for homosexuals is wrong. Men and woman gave themselves over to this abomination. God did not create a gene that makes them queer, (odd, different) then tell them they are sinners. God created perfection. Man distorted that, and continues to do so. Is it easy to get out of this sin? No. But no sexual lust is easy to break out of. 

One thing that separates us from the Gentiles is that we feel shame when we sin; they feel nothing. Their hearts have been hardened, and they don’t even realize that some of the things they do are very wrong. They listen to the prince of darkness, and believe his lies that they deserve to be this happy. In I John 2:16 it tells us that, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”  But their “conscience has been seared with a hot iron” as I Timothy 4:2 states it. It’s as though they took a hot iron from the fire and cauterized their conscience to stem the flow if conviction from pouring out and making them feel bad.

Where is satan’s lie in this? People in sin are not happy! satan claims there is no sin, and they have bought into it. If there is any truth to this, why then do these unsaved people exhibit signs of depression, despair, anger, bitterness, anxiety, and all sorts of negative emotions? Because it’s not true! Sin is a destructive force, and it leads to eternal damnation and destruction.

In Christ, we are supposed to overcome sin because we now walk in the purity of regeneration and redemption. Will we still sin occasionally? Yes, we will. Now, though, we have access to the throne by the blood of Jesus, and can be forgiven instantly as we repent. Our consciences can be purified. We are cleansed each time: But that only by the blood of our redeeming Savior.

More studies at http://www.newbeginmin1.org/BIBLESTUDYOPENING.html