Romans 1:21-25

Last episode, we covered the four reasons, that Paul gives: the four statements that begin in verse 16, 17, 18, and 20, beginning with that word “for” (f-o-r).

These are the reasons that Paul gives that he is ready to preach the gospel to those that are at Rome also. In verse 15, he says, “As much as in me is.” These four statements speak to that.

They show what’s revealed to Paul that gave him the confidence to preach at Rome.

In verse 16, it is the power of God to salvation in the gospel of Christ.

The righteousness of God in verse 17 is revealed from faith to faith. And then the wrath of God is revealed from heaven in verse 18 against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. And then in verse 20, the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen.

So, we have the invisible things of God have been revealed from the creation, and people can see those clearly.

How were those things revealed?

In verse 16, the power of God is revealed in the gospel of Christ.

In verse 17, the righteousness of God from faith to faith is revealed in the Scripture, and he quotes Habakkuk.

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven; he goes on to verse 19 to explain how it’s known in us in our conscience.

And then, in verse 20, of course, the invisible things are clearly seen by the things that are made.

The subject of this episode is the next three or four verses as Paul elaborates why the whole world is without excuse.

Paul’s explaining this here in Romans very early, because he’s preaching to Rome, to those that are at Rome. He’s going to go there and visit, and they might say, “Well, we didn’t know any of this information, the things you say weren’t revealed; nobody knew this stuff.” But he’s saying: they all knew.

The righteousness of God was spoken of in the Scriptures and in Israel and throughout the world. But then we have our own conscience, and we can’t get away from our own conscience.

Then, of course, there’s the creation itself, which leaves people without excuse, which is what Paul’s saying in verse 20. So, he’s going to explain why there’s no valid excuse before God after what He’s revealed.

In verse 21, he says, “Because here’s why they’re without excuse: because when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God.” And what we’re seeing here, when Paul’s making this argument, is that he says from the creation of the world, the invisible things of God are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.”

So, Paul preaching a gospel that Christ revealed to him from heaven between about 6 to 8 years after Christ was crucified and resurrected.

He’s going back before Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, way back to Creation in the Book of Genesis.

And, if we’re of the opinion that God or the bible shouldn’t make us feel guilty, or we shouldn’t make any other person feel guilty, then we’re going to be the farthest away from the truth.

Romans 1 is going to lay down the guilt trip through human history.

So, we could feel a little comfortable in the sense that we’re here, now, and we’re talking about people that are long dead.

But we can learn from that past experience, and something might be true about us as well, because man hasn’t changed much and that’s what we’re going to learn here as well.

Romans 1:20-21,

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

They were without excuse because, when they knew God, they did not glorify him as God.

See, knowing God wasn’t the issue, which is interesting, because these days that seems to be the issue. Does God exist? Can you prove God exists? I don’t know He exists. Who can I know God? This is the issue these days, but that’s a very recent thing relative to man’s history.

There were no atheists in Genesis.

If we ask the atheist about their history, they’ll say it was developed sometime later in history, much closer to here, now.

The belief in evolution also happened quite late in human history.

The thinking that’s prominent today is that people invented gods and religions, and they should all be thrown on the rubbish heap. Out of that thinking came the so called “enlightened” people who decided not to believe in God anymore.

The Bible makes the opposite case, that atheism is the severest ignorance and blindness of humanity.

Many say, “So what? Who cares about the bible? It’s just a collection of myths and fairy tales”.

But what if it’s not? What if it truly is God’s message to man?

The challenge for every person is to confirm for themselves just what the bible really is and that can be done. The question is do I want to?

Now, we know that man did create many religions, and that’s what’s caused all the problems, so we can actually agree with the criticisms that man presents against religion by reading Romans chapter one.

Romans 1:21 says,

…although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God,

The problem in Paul’s day was not whether God existed, they knew that.

The issue was their worship.”

Very early on in Genesis, we find after the fall in Genesis 4, we have Cain and Abel, the children of Adam and Eve, and the problem there is worship. How are they worshipping God?

God doesn’t respect the sacrifice and the offering of Cain. Why not? After all, he’s doing religious worship just like Abel. But it’s not what God instructed.

The issue’s always been what is true and false worship of God. It’s who you’re worshipping and how you’re worshipping.

So these people knew God, but they didn’t glorify Him as God. Well, if they knew Him as God, why wouldn’t they glorify Him as God?

God created, and they know He did, and by the way so do we if we seriously think about it, but they’re not thankful to Him. They don’t respect Him, they neglect Him. They disobey what He wants, or don’t even care what He wants.

They changed the truth about God distorting who He is. That’s the meaning of the word ungodliness, but they’re without excuse.

They didn’t glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, and as a result they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Futile thoughts, or vain imaginations as the King James renders it, are not always easy to see in our own life. Sometimes they’re easier to spot in the world around us than in our own lives.

Notice this is not saying because they didn’t do good things and because they sinned a heap and because they didn’t attend weekly church. That’s not what’s being said. They didn’t glorify God as God and weren’t thankful!

They reject Him, neglected Him, ignored Him, dismissed Him and distorted Him. That was man’s choice even though God gave graciously to them.

God didn’t need anything from man, He doesn’t need our thanks but when we thank God we’re actually giving the one thing that pleases Him, Faith. We’re saying we believe in Him. We’re stating that we not only know He exists but that we’re aware that everything we are, everything we need to live and survive, comes from Him, even though we don’t see Him with our natural senses.

Hebrews 11:6 says,

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:18,

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In glorifying God as God we’re saying we know we didn’t give ourselves life or evolve from absolutely nothing. We know where it all came from.

This is what Paul’s talking about: since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.

This is the heart of the failure of humanity; to see God’s revelation of Himself and reject it.

Unsaved man’s imagination is inspired by evil, even though that evil doesn’t always show up as the popular concept of evil. It can display outwardly as a goodness or kindness but it’s most often a self-righteousness rather than the recognition of the righteousness of God and the unrighteousness of man.

People back in Genesis knew God.

Creation was clearly seen not only in the creation that you and I still live in, but they were so close to the creation.

Yet, in Genesis 6:5 we see:

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

Evil! That thing which destroys!

Wickedness! That thing which is contrary to or distorted from the right path, the right way, the right thinking, or from God Himself. That’s characterised by sin. Sin is everything that’s contrary to God’s character, to God.

He saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.

That’s why, in the next two chapters in Genesis, He floods the Earth.

The flood didn’t come out of nowhere. It wasn’t a surprise or a shock. It was 100 years after Genesis 6:5.

God, as always with His judgments, gives man time to repent, to change their mind, their attitude.

Thank you Lord for this world! That’s all He wants.

It’s not that He needs our thanks and obedience. It’s that it shows the attitude of our heart and our trust in Him rather than our own thoughts and concepts.

God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Their hearts weren’t filled with gratitude towards Him. They weren’t recognising God as God, glorifying Him and honouring Him.

Instead, He was someone who they probably thought was preventing them from doing what they wanted.

That’s not an uncommon view even today. God prevents me from doing what I want. That’s not true but it’s a testimony to our own wickedness, that we actually want what’s against God.

Let’s look at what’s going on in Genesis 8:21.

This is after the flood. Noah and his family walk off the ark, and they offer a sacrifice here to God.

And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

So, God promised not to do that again with water. He will judge all men. We’ll all stand before God in judgment.

The issue then won’t be, “did you sin or not”. That’s a given! Romans 3:23:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

The issue will be, “was that sin fully paid for by your acceptance of Christ’s death for that sin.”

Most people would say, “Why would God do that, judge the world and cast most of it into hell?”

Because He has no option!

If He’s completely righteous, which He is, He must judge unrighteousness.

From Job down through David and through the ages, men questioned how a fully righteous God can redeem sinful, unrighteous man without that sin and unrighteousness being paid for and we know that the payment, the wages of sin, is death. Not the death of the body but eternally lasting, spiritual death and torment.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death…

But God had a way.

He sent Jesus Christ, sinless, perfect, God in the flesh, outside of the line of fallen Adam, to die and pay those wages Himself in substitution for us.

The rest of Romans 6:23

… but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That’s His grace.

God’s the Creator and He’s the Judge and that’s vital to understanding our need for Him as our Saviour as well.

Genesis 11:6:

And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 

And so, we see again the imaginations of man opposed to what God would have them do.

He wanted them to spread out and replenish the earth, but they wanted to build a city.

God didn’t tell them to do that. The only city God mandated man to establish was Jerusalem, which was His city, the capital of the world from where He would eventually rule His kingdom.

People would come there to Him and get blessings.

He didn’t tell anyone else to build cities. Cities became natural for people to build, but they became declarations of their own achievement and to the glory of man.

Even today, that’s the case.

Why do we not glorify God for the things that are much bigger than manmade cities, like mountains, plains, oceans, and the heavenly bodies like the sun, the moon and the stars, the things that He created.

Instead, it’s look what we can do.

So, three times in Genesis we see God testifying to man’s imagination being evil and wicked, and that’s what Paul says as well.

People say, “Well, there’s so much confusion in religion, how do you know you’re right?” I’m not right, God is.

There’s one true God, and He’s revealed Himself through creation and throughout history. All the confusion has been caused by man.

Man created his own religions, but that doesn’t mean the One true God doesn’t exist.

Look at Acts 17:22 where Paul goes to Mars Hill in Greece,

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious…

The King James calls it superstitious.

They’re believing things that aren’t based in reality and fact like manmade gods, rabbit’s feet, and angel’s wings, and cross necklaces, and things like that.

Things that people do for religious, superstitious reasons.

The Athenians had statues of their gods made out of stone and Paul says to them in Acts 17:23

for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

Paul’s saying here, you’re worshiping this statue of a god who’s unknown to you. He’s using this as an opportunity to preach the real God to them.

In Acts 17:24 he declares to these men,

God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 

In the remainder of Acts 17 he tells them, simply and powerfully about Who God really is.

He doesn’t try to prove His existence; they knew that there was a Creator God back here when he’s preaching. They just didn’t know Him.

They believed there were many gods and an unknown “one God”.

In Acts 17:25 he goes on,

Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 

Paul says here to theses Athenians God doesn’t need anything from you guys. He gives life and breath in all things.

You see, He’s not a taker he’s The Giver. So it’s a futile thought, a vain imagination that God’s demanding a bunch of stuff from us and He’s going to disrupt the way I want to live. He’s getting in the way of my natural desires and pleasures because he wants things from me and if I don’t please Him He’ll do bad things to me.

This’s a popular concept that people have of God.

Paul calls that futile thoughts, vain imaginations, something man made up because that’s what we’d do if we had so much power. In our wickedness we’d say, “All right everybody, give me some stuff”.

But God didn’t do that.

Atheists, agnostics and sceptics like to say they’re seeking after God. “We’re seeking the Lord, we’re seeking God, an unprejudiced, unbiased effort, really trying to find out who He is.” But they’re not, because they’re reserving all glorification and all gratitude until they find a God that matches their criteria, and then they’ll give that to him.

If they were really seeking God, they’d be fervently thanking Him now and glorifying Him as God now, saying, “I don’t know your name, but thank you.” But people don’t do that. They don’t seek the Lord. They don’t try to “find” Him.

If they were truly trying to find out more about God they’d be saying, “God, why are you letting us live? Our fathers sinned, and we deserve death. Thank you for the grace and mercy that lets us live.

What about Israel? No, they didn’t seek God either.

They tried to kick Moses out when he tried to save them. God almost had to drag Israel out of Egypt. Just read Exodus.

The church today says, “We’re better now, we’re seeking the Lord every Sunday.” Really?

The church is a mess, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re, man, it’s really an effort to try to seek God, you know, to read the scripture and pray.

We have a Bible that no one back there ever had, and we put it on the shelf next to the recipe book to gather dust. This testifies to our own state and attitude towards God.

So, in Acts 17:28-29, Paul tells these Athenians,

for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 

Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 

Here, he’s saying this amidst a bunch of these statues of gods, and he’s saying we shouldn’t think of God like any of these pictures you have and these statues. God is not in this golden statue.”

This is still true today, particularly in some eastern countries. You’ll see statues of gods, Buddhas, and things like that. Just like those Athenians did.

But God’s not made of man’s devices, is what Paul says and what the scripture says.

He says in verse 30, Acts 17:30,

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 

Interesting, He overlooked that ignorance. Why?

Acts 17:31

because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

People say, “Why hasn’t God intervened in 2000 years?”

Like, if He really was real, He’d be doing things like parting waters and flooding the Earth or sending lightning bolts and fire from heaven.

Well, He was doing that. But now, today, at this time and in this dispensation of grace that God’s dispensed to the world, we have to just believe.

So, in Acts 17 Paul’s trying to show these folk that God’s not your God. He’s the God. You didn’t make Him up, you didn’t invent Him. He’s the God who made you. You’re the creation.

Many say, “Well, Muslims and Christians, they all worship the same God.” Well, if there’s one God, then yes, that’s one God.

But when you call God something different than who the true God is, then it’s not the same one.

The world calls what happened when they threw off the ancient concept of God as being “enlightened”.

But it’s the exact opposite.

There was the truth, the singular truth that could help everyone if they believed it and did according to it, by glorifying God and being thankful for the graces He gave.

But instead, they reject Him, they’re unthankful to Him. They create a god in their own imagination to fit for their own achievements and self-righteousness and esteem. And then they pursue whatever’s in their heart, which they call freedom and enlightenment, but which God calls slavery, slavery to sin, and a darkened heart.

In Isaiah 5:20 the prophet Isaiah says,

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 

This is what happens from the very beginning of creation under the guise of enlightening each other.

 

As Christians we seek truth, of course, and we seek God, but we seek God as the source of wisdom, truth, and knowledge. It’s not for us individually to attain all knowledge and then finally be one with God.

We get saved while we’re still sinners, and then we learn by faith in Jesus Christ the treasures of wisdom and knowledge because He’s the source of it. It’s not our seeking or pursuing for our enlightenment so that we become the source of knowledge and wisdom. We seek because we want to know God more and more.

Without God, we can’t seek or find real understanding, absolute truth.

The world thinks that by throwing off religion, they have access to more knowledge, by denying a spiritual reality, denying that there’s a God and His intervention in history and His divine revelations we can now know more things.

Really? So a believer today who listens to God, reads His word and consults His revelations in history, are supposed to now know less?

1 Corinthians 2:14 calls that foolish:

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

They’re foolishness because all that natural man can know is the material. However the spiritual is much bigger than the material, which is a result of the spiritual. But they shut themselves off to that. They’re foolish.

Ephesians 4:18-20:

having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, 

What saves us from all of that?

It’s not us saying, “Well I’ll be better, and I’ll do better. What saves us from all that is Jesus Christ.

Once you learn of Him and what He did and the mind of Christ and the gospel of Christ, that’s what saves us from this and that’s why Paul’s writing in Romans 1 that that’s the power of God to salvation.

In Christ we’ll always have something to thank God for.

He bought us with an astronomical price, through his blood.

So we get past the selfish flesh that thinks I deserve to live this life well.

I don’t, and I definitely don’t deserve to live eternal life, but in Christ Jesus He gives me that opportunity. He gives me grace, you see.

So much to be thankful for.

People trust academics and Ph.D.’s and scientists today.

You ask the average person on the street about the proof of evolution, they have no idea what it is, but they trust the scientists. They trust the professors who largely reject God.

Through years and years of focus on a particular subject they conclude, “Well, I’m so smart that now I’m beyond the belief in God.”

But no academic, scientist, or doctor knows everything about everything, not even close, and yet they have the audacity to say, “I’m beyond this. We’re much smarter and wiser than this silly, ignorant belief in the maker of all things, which I now clearly understand.” They don’t.

Even in the smallest parts of creation still baffle scientists. Recently in scientific circles the debate has been about the conscience.

People don’t listen to the conscience, but they want to understand it.

“Where does this come from? What’s this voice in my head?” It keeps telling me I’m doing wrong.

And what do the enlightened religions tell us? There’s no such thing as right and wrong. So, all those things that you feel, those things that you think, are just remnants of our Neanderthal past.

We have a sense of right and wrong because it’s ingrained, it’s inherent in us through the conscience God gave us, and we can’t find this physiologically no matter how hard we look.

So, they can’t explain the conscience or even define what life is. Where did life come from?

What makes an organism that’s moving of its own accord alive?

They don’t know. We don’t know. Yet these are very basic issues of creation, and we claim we understand it? We don’t at all.

We’re creating mathematical formulas that are far away from explaining the source of life, but professing ourselves to be wise we’re foolish.

1 Corinthians 1:22:

For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

The Jews weren’t seeking wisdom because they thought they knew God. He spoke to Israel and sent them the prophets and gave them the oracles of God, so they weren’t seeking after that.

But the Greeks, the gentiles are seeking after wisdom.

Many people read that verse as if the Jews are ignorant religious people and the Greeks are smart intelligent people.

Well, actually, the Greeks just simply don’t know who God is. They’re seeking wisdom trying to find out who He is.

The Jews claim to know where wisdom comes from: it comes from Jehovah God, our God, the God of Israel.

They’re seeking signs of His coming, rejecting completely that he already came.

1Corinthians 1:23:

 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 

Christ is the prophesied, but rejected messiah of Jewish religion, and the Greeks are ten steps behind, saying we’re seeking wisdom.

We preach Christ crucified, the ultimate revelation of God, Paul says. To the Jews, a stumbling block because they rejected the fulfillment of their own scriptures, and to the Greeks, foolishness.

1Corinthians 1:24,

but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

See, so they profess themselves to be wise by rejecting God, not worshiping Him correctly, saying they don’t know Him, and they become fools. If we know Jesus Christ and trust the gospel, we have the wisdom of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31:

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD.” 

 

We didn’t have to study long hours and get a Ph.D. for that.

But what does that mean, He gives you wisdom?

The Bible says strange things about wisdom, like the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

It’s not about God making us afraid and then we cower in fear and that means we’re wise. No, it’s that when we realise that God is the maker and the judge of all things, and we don’t distort Him, but we glorify Him as God, that’s when we’re on the right track to wisdom.

As soon as we realise that God is the one that’s behind all of the wisdom in the universe and we’re not, that’s when we start to grow in wisdom.

Paul says, “I’m not ashamed. As much as in me is, I’m ready to preach the gospel in Rome. Paul’s going to show the Romans Jesus Christ.

This gospel of Christ is so different than preaching a Jewish religion. It’s not about works; it’s no longer about us living a certain lifestyle. It’s Christ, it’s the revelation of God in Christ Jesus.

In Romans 1:23, Paul continues and says,

and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 

 

They changed the glory of God, the glory of the uncorruptible God, into an image like the corruptible man. So, the story is that God made man in His image, then then man made gods in their image. And that’s the biblical account of history.

The secular account of history says man did make gods in their own image, but they don’t add that God made them first, and that changes everything.

That changes man from being the enlightened one that he thinks he is to being the rebel.

The Old Testament records man from creation and the gods that he created. It records the men of faith from creation, which are few and far between, but they are there.

We find them from Adam to Abel, to Enoch, to Seth to Abraham and David. Men of faith throughout history. They were always the minority.

Which shows and testifies to the inexcusability of man, that they were all wicked. Even in Israel, you think of God’s nation, Israel, surely the majority of them are righteous? No, they were proven to be sinners too.

 

Jesus, The Son of God, came to earth.

He had 150 in the upper room. A minority is always seeking and believing the Lord and glorifying Him as God.

 

Jos 24:2-3 Joshua calls all the elders together and we read,

And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. 

Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 

Joshua is here with the nation of Israel being delivered, and he says, “Your fathers including Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.”

See that? They served other gods. “And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood and led him throughout all the land of Canaan and multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac.”

Abraham was called out of the people of the world even though his family served other gods, false gods. And he chose one man. There’s nothing about Abraham being righteous.

Later, he believed what God said to him and that was counted to him as righteousness. But Abraham’s father and his family, served other gods, false gods. Idolatry was rampant.

 

By the time we get to Abraham, after the flood, there’s gods, plural, that people are worshipping. It went from one God to many gods.

When He calls Abraham out, God says, “I’m the only God,” revealing Himself again, and Abraham believes Him for righteousness.

 

What was the first commandment in Israel?

Exodus 20:3

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

God was trying to protect humanity from themselves in creating other gods.

Moses went up to the mountain to get the commandments. The first one being, “No other gods, just me.” Meantime, what’s going on at the bottom of the mountain? They were creating another god.

This is what people do. We’re wicked. “God’s taking too long, I guess we’ll create our own religion.” Man does this, even today.

 

God is incorruptible. He’s perfect. He’s holy, He’s all-powerful, and He’s all-loving, and He’s wiser than me and you.

He plans the end from the beginning. So, He has a purpose in place, and that’s why He’s not doing the things we want Him to do. He’s doing what He wants to do. And He’s revealed why He’s doing that, but we don’t care enough to even read what He said. Who’s the fool? Not Him.

 

Romans 1:23, says they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

That’s interesting. It describes ancient idolatry, like when they carved out pictures of eagles and worshipped them on totem poles. But idolatry still exists very clearly the same way in the world today.

 

The Egyptian gods were birds and bugs. They had many gods, and that’s why God plagued Egypt the way He did. He was attacking their gods that were bugs and birds and frogs and things.

A whole continent in India worships cows.

 

The Greek and Roman gods were glorified men: Hercules, Zeus, Jupiter. All those gods in the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods made mistakes. Read the stories. They claim it’s part of their drama, right? When they saw the other’s wife and things like that, they made errors, they killed each other and stuff.

They’re like corruptible man but with superpowers.

The oldest religion, according to secular religious professors, is the Vedic religions that were before Hinduism.

Their gods were associated with the elements of the earth: fire, water, and air, and things like that. They’ve created gods from the things that God’s made.

 

Idolatry always idolises something that God has made while it ignores God.

 

Romans 1:24-25:

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

 

God gave them up after they chose to ignore Him. After they chose to change His glory to fit themselves. What did He give them up to? Uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves, bodies, which God made and gave them.

He gave them up to what they wanted to do, which is going to have bad consequences.

They changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.

This is what happened with humanity. They were exposed to the knowledge of God, but they didn’t want that God. They didn’t want to be accountable to Him or glorify Him as God or thank Him. They wanted a god they could control and manage, that they could know better. So, they created gods themselves.

 

In Genesis chapter 10, after the flood there’s a table of nations. We see later civilizations making gods out of those people from that table of nations.

 

Then we have Samson. Samson was someone empowered by God with divine strength. Later, here comes Hercules in the Greek culture, a man given power of the gods. Hercules was a distortion of the truth of Samson. False gods.

 

In Genesis chapter 10 Nimrod creates Babylon in a city called Erech. Even today, you look up the oldest city in the world—not the one that’s still existing, Damascus, but the one that they found called Uruk. It’s where the Babylonian religion was created and founded, and where they served false gods. The only city that we’ve dug up that we know existed those thousands and thousands of years ago, and they served false gods in it.

 

Meanwhile, they changed the truth of God into a lie. They worshipped the creature more than the Creator. What does that look like?

Well, if we’re worshipping our self-identity or our self-esteem, we’re the creature we’re worshipping.

We worship women, worship men, worship sex, money, power. These things are things that people pursue. What does it even mean to worship? It means to devote our life to. Worship means what we devote our life and affection and our being to. When we define it like that, it becomes less religious.”

It becomes more like what everyone’s trying to do with something.

 

All people worship something. Take the Earth, for example. It doesn’t matter whatever people do or think, or even human life itself doesn’t matter if it’s going to sacrifice the Earth. We’ve got to maintain the Earth.

That’s what we find with some of the green agendas. They’re allowing people to be thrown into poverty, ill health and even death because of the policies put in place to save the Earth, because that’s the most important thing.

 

AI is another, largely future source of worship for many.

People believe these things even though we’re in an age where we have access to information. It doesn’t mean everyone knows things. We tend to cherry pick information to satisfy or back up what we want.

Just because we have Google or Chat Gpt doesn’t mean we’re smarter and it doesn’t mean they’re going to put the human mind into a computer. It’s impossible. Our minds don’t work like computers. They really don’t. Our minds aren’t hard drives, there’s no CPU in there. Nobody but God understands how the mind works. There’s a whole neuroscience community trying to figure it out but they’re just people like you and me with the same problems and preconceptions.

 

We can’t worship these things mor life will end up being meaningless. We can end up studying our whole life and finding that we’re going on a wrong path. Many scientists and entrepreneurs have gone down that road. Science is trial and error. We should observe things; it’s a good thing. A lot of advantages have happened from our discovery of science, but, you know, there’s a lot of time wasted too. many people’s whole lives wasted. Maybe we need to at least get grounded first in what’s more important than any of that and not worship it.

To know the Creator and to know our judge and to glorify Him as God and be thankful for what He’s given us is true worship. Knowing Him is the beginning of wisdom. He’s the source of wisdom. But man, for a long. Long time, has been without excuse, and we’ll pick it up next episode when we talk about the consequences of their error in their own flesh.