Week 4 - Sunday

Useless People

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, (Romans 1:28)

God is perfectly holy and He hates sin. Because of this God uses His Spirit to restrain sin in world, and to influence people to believe in Him. However throughout history, men have rejected God and invented their own gods. The main reason people reject the one true God is because they do not want a God who interfers with their sin. As a result they invent gods who are unconcerned, or at least more tolerant, with their sin. When a person continues in their rejection of God long enough, eventually they reach the point where they themselves are abandoned by God. When God abandons someone, He removes His restraining influence over them and gives them over to follow the desires of their own depraved mind. Depraved (adokimos in the Greek) means not passing the test, useless, rejected as worthless and was often used in regard to the assaying of precious metals (Jer. 6:30). Because they have chosen not to acknowledge God and do not want to follow His instruction, they are useless to God. They become abandoned by God because they are no longer any good for the purpose He created them for, which is to bring glory to Him. Because the heart of man is basically evil (Jer. 17:9), when God removes His restraining influence over someone, the inevitable result is that they go on to do those things which are not proper.

The nature of man hasn't changed throughout history. These things are just as true today as they were when Paul wrote them, 1,900 years ago. Often people who start to read the Bible, stop reading it because they say it's too condemning. Basically the problem they have with it is that it makes them feel guilty. If they were to really believe what the Bible says, they would have to do something about their sin, which is just what they don't want to do. If you feel convicted of your sin from reading the Bible, the worst thing you can do is to stop reading it. The Bible is supposed to make you feel guilty about your sin. That's what God designed it to do. If you are already a Christian, the Bible will show you your sin so that you can correct it. If you are not a Christian, the Bible shows you your sin so that you can see you need a Savior. Jesus Christ came to earth to save us from our sins. He is nothing to you if He is not your Savior from sin. Unfortunately, when convicted by the Bible, many people ignore their feelings of guilt and reject God's word. If their rejection continues long enough they will eventually harden their heart to the point where they are abandoned by God. Saving faith is a gift from God and no one can come to Christ, unless they are being drawn to Him by God (John 6:44). If a person is abandoned by God, they are unable to believe because God is not influencing them to do so. If you have never turned from your sins to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, do it now. The longer you wait the greater the risk becomes that God will reject you as useless, and give you over to a depraved mind.

Readings for today: Heb. 4:12; Matt. 13 :15; 2 Thes. 2:11-12; 2 Cor. 6:-2