Living in Habitual Sin:

Resurrection Sunday is why we no longer have to worry about our sins if we are in Christ. We have been set free, but let’s talk a little bit about “living in sin.” 

We all were sinners; even when I became a believer and I have lived my life as close to the way Jesus lived, I still fall short. I remember my sins were forgiven on that cross when Jesus suffered a painful death, but as I try to follow Him closely, I still tend to fail from time to time. I want to do good, but even as the Apostle Paul taught us concerning our nature, when we want to do good, we usually do not (see Romans 7:15, 19).

We see that especially in Romans 1, starting at verse 18. There Paul tells us:  “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” What truth do they suppress? In verse 19, Paul writes they suppress “what may be known about God.” Paul continues his thought with “What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.” So even people who cannot read or write or do not have the Bible know about God. How do we know that? Because the word tells us so in verse 20: “God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” And what qualities does he have in mind? What he simply and emphatically states, that God is powerful and that He is God – His eternal power and divine nature. These qualities of God are clear to all people everywhere and therefore they have no excuses.

How do they know these truths about God? Again, states it simply; “God has made it plain to them.” God has shown it to them. How has He shown it to them? He clearly states “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities . . . have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” 

When people look at the sun, the moon, and the stars in the heavens, and they look to the seas, the oceans, and the mountains in the earth and then they see the power of thunderstorms, and hurricanes, and wind storms, and they take in the beauties of nature, the rivers, and the waterfalls, and all the other wonders of the natural world they know beyond a doubt that there is a God. And they know that He is powerful. They do not need a book to tell them this. They know this automatically through the created order.

But, Paul argues, they have suppressed that truth. They have held that truth down. He tells us in verse 21 that “they knew God!” Through the world He created for us they know God. But they did not honor Him as God or give Him thanks and praise. They did

not respond rightly to this revelation that is given to them through nature. They suppressed it. They are without excuse. Paul gives no evidence that anyone responded to this revelation rightly. Instead, they responded to this revelation in a way that was not pleasing to God, through sinning. Although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give Him the thanks He so rightly deserves.

But, instead of honoring, thanking, and praising God, they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. They did not think correctly about God. They thought they were wise (verse 22), but instead, they became fools. Paul goes on to state, they “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images” – for idols “made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” They turned away from God and worshipped other gods and trusted in them – whether it was the trees, birds, animals, or statues of human beings or any number of other things. In the Western world, people often worship money, power, prestige, or even in verse 25, Paul expounds, “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”