Week 4 - Monday

The Extent of Man's Sin

being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:29-32)

God's Holy Spirit is at work in the world, restraining sin and influencing people to come to Christ. Because people do not want to give up their sin they reject God and refuse His instruction. If a person continues to reject God long enough, they are abandoned by God. Once God's restraining influence is removed from them, they become filled with all unrighteousness. There is no limit to what they will do. The list that Paul gives here is by no means a complete list of man's sins. It does however give us some graphic examples of just how sinful man can be. History books are filled with the accounts of the horrible things people have done to each other. Some think that we are progressing though, that man is getting better. That's hard to believe. Our daily newspapers and television newscasts continually bombard us with the details of how sinful man is. The Bible says that man is not getting better. In fact it says that the last days will be difficult times because man will be so sinful (2 Tim. 3:1-4).

God warns us that the penalty for sin is death. Even though they know this, people still continue to sin. Not only do they sin themselves, but they also give hearty approval to the sins of others. Isn't it true that the most popular movies and TV shows seem to be the ones that are full of violence, and sex? There are a myriad of talk shows on TV that feature people with perverted practices sharing their experiences with the audience. It seems as if these shows are competing with one another to see who can find the most twisted and bizarre guests. The television viewing public loves it. Sex outside of marriage is so common place that it almost seems normal. Young couples are often encouraged to live together for a while before they consider getting married. Homosexuality is not considered a sin anymore. Instead it is accepted as an alternative life style. Men brag about their sexual encounters and are congratulated by their friends. Countless jokes are told and laughed at that present sin as if it were something funny. God isn't amused though. Mankind is so sinful that they have taken the one thing God hates, and made it their major source of entertainment. There is no doubt that God's condemnation of man is well deserved. God has revealed Himself and His truth to man. He has provided for their needs. And how has man responded to God? They have responded to God by knowingly suppressing the truth, by refusing to give God honor or thanks, by inventing god's of their own, by continuing to go deeper and deeper into sin, and by giving hearty approval to each others sins.

Readings for today: Ezek. 18:4; Prov. 28:4; Psalm 50:17-18; Prov. 1:24, 29-33