I deserve the death penalty.
We just finished up the first chapter of Romans. The first chapter can be divided into two parts: Paul’s introduction and then his description of humanity. He further divides humanity into two parts: those saved by faith and those who aren’t.
Verses 16 and 17 describe the lives of the righteous. This can be whittled down to one phrase: The righteous shall live by faith. He then delves into the lives of the unrighteous, spending 14 verses in their description.
How is God’s wrath revealed against all ungodliness? It’s mentioned several times in this chapter - He simply let’s us do what we want. He leaves us to our own desires. God’s wrath is poured out on us by letting us do what we please. That is humbling and revealing. When left to myself, all I can choose is evil. The thing I turn to is evil. I worship the creature rather than the Creator.
Near the end of chapter one, there is a list of sins, which deserve death (being - all sin deserves death, not simply this by-no-means-exhaustive-list of sins). Among the “given bad sins” of murder, God-haters, those filled with evil and malice, there are others which are in the same list, seemingly equally as “bad”: faithlessness, pride, disobedience to parents.
The chapter ends with this accusation of me: Though (insert your name) knows God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, he/she not only does them but gives approval to those who practice them. - That refers not only to murder, but also to faithlessness, pride, and disobedience to parents.
We all deserve the death penalty!
But yet . . . if we care to look back to the two verses prior to this description of the sinful world, we see our salvation: the righteousness of God. - The righteous shall live - God provides a way to recieve this life-giving righteousness: Faith. Faith in the saving-work of Christ’s death on the cross!
We all deserve the death penalty, but Christ has already paid that debt, leaving us clothed in the life-giving righteousness of God.
To pause for just a moment and think what I would do once God would leave all the matter to my own choice was rather gruesome and humbling. Even after walking with the Lord for over 30 years I cannot but agree with Paul, “for that which I do I allow not; for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” Praise the Lord that “[I] shall live by faith” both upon and after being saved. Thanks for the Bible study.
Milton
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