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Showing posts from July, 2019

Romans 4:14: For If It Is The Adherents Of The Law Who Are To Be The Heirs, Faith Is Null

Romans 4:14 [14] For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. (ESV) Imagine if you will the story of two sons. Both are potential heirs to their father's fortune. The father has decided to give all of his fortune to only one of the sons. He will make his decision by evaluating the behavior of both. In the course of life one son did his best to do all the things that the father demanded, but never showed love to his father. The other loved his father, but was not a good rule keeper. At the end of his life the father calls his sons into his bedroom. He has made his decision. While the first son is confident that his father will recognize his lifetime of rigid obedience as being the requirement to receiving the inheritance, the other son bursts into the room and hugs his father's neck. He tells him that no matter what happens he just wants his father to know how much he loves him. The father chooses the second son.

Romans 4:13: For The Promise To Abraham And His Offspring That He Would Be Heir Of The World

Romans 4:13 [13] For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. (ESV) God made a promise to Abraham. He told him that he would be the father of many nations. When Abraham's wife was told that she would be the mother of a child she laughed out loud. She was an old woman! God's promise came true and Abraham became the father of the Jewish nation and as Paul describes him is that he would be the heir of the world. Impressive. Let's look more closely at this promise that involves Abraham and his offspring. God told Abraham in Genesis 12:3: "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Did this promise of destiny come to Abraham because he was a keeper of the Law? No! The Law had not even been given yet. The promise to Abraham came through the righteousness that is by faith. T

Romans 4:12: The Father Of The Circumcised Who Also Walk In The Footsteps Of The Faith

Romans 4:12 [12] and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. (ESV) Have you ever done any ancestry research? Perhaps there is a king or great influential person in your lineage. My father told me that there is a man who lent money to the army that fought with George Washington in the Revolutionary War. If the government were to pay him back for the money he gave with interest we would all be millionaires. I am not holding my breath. The Jews were very proud of their heritage. They traced their lineage back to Abraham himself. They knew that Abraham was a great man of faith who was willing to take the greatest risks in following God. If nothing else, Abraham was a great role model for the people of Israel, and continues to be a role model of faith for us today. If you read today's verse carefully you will find that Paul is making an almost

Romans 4:11: He Received The Sign Of Circumcision As A Seal Of Righteousness

Romans 4:11 [11] He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, (ESV) Father Abraham had many sons. In the racial sense he is the father of all the Jews. Spiritually, he was the father of all the uncircumcised Gentiles who had placed their faith in God. The  reality is that it was faith that unites all of Abraham's family. It was never about circumcision. It was about a change of the heart that followed after God. The Jews loved to look back to Abraham as their father. They thought that they were good sons of Abraham if they had been circumcised. Yet, their hatred for the Gentiles, and their hatred for their own brothers demonstrated that the circumcision they received was only a physical act. It had nothing to do with their heart. Perhaps you know some peopl

Romans 4:9-10: Is This Blessing Then Only For The Circumcised?

Romans 4:9–10 [9] Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. [10] How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. (ESV) Paul is talking here about the blessing of having our sins not counted against us. He is talking about the blessing of God crediting to our account his righteousness. This is a blessing beyond any earthly treasure. At the end of our days we will take none of our earthly treasures with us, but if we have God's righteousness credited to our account we will inherit eternal life. The Jews felt like they deserved this blessing because they had been circumcised and were the recipients of the Law. If the Jews were to be honest they were not too happy about the Gentiles being offered this blessing of receiving God's righteousness. These Gentiles were uncircumcised and did not even ha

Romans 4:7-8: "Blessed Are Those Whose Lawless Deeds Are Forgiven . . ."

Romans 4:7–8 [7] “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; [8] blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” (ESV) I currently live in a part of the country where I hear phrases like, "Have a blessed day," or "Bless your heart." I have a strong feeling that the ones who speak of blessing are lacking in a proper understanding of what defines the word "blessing." Many of us speak of being blessed when we get a new job opportunity, our child gets a scholarship, or we have a good meal. Let's look at real blessing. Paul quotes a Psalm of David to define the word for us. David had radically disobeyed God's Law. He had committed murder and adultery. David was the King of Israel. He had all of the financial blessings he could have desired. In fact, he saw that there was a woman he wanted, so he took her from her husband and had him killed. There was no material blessing that David did not h

Romans 4:6: Just As David Speaks Of The Blessing Of The One To Whom God Counts Righteousness Apart From Works

Romans 4:6 [6] just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: (ESV) Our goal should be to obtain the righteousness of God. He is our Creator. We exist to give him glory. Man is never truly satisfied in life until he is satisfied in God. So then, how ought we to achieve the righteousness of God. Left to our own devices we will depend on our own works to achieve it. As we have seen here in Romans, our works are incapable of achieving God's righteousness. Not only are our works not capable of achieving God's righteousness they are not preferred. In the next two verses Paul is going to quote the words of David. In today's verse he describes David as one who knew the blessing of having God count him righteous apart from his works. We should take a closer look at David. David is a hero of the Jewish people. He is a hero of Scripture. The Bible refers to him as the "apple of God's eye." In the famous

Romans 4:4-5: Now To The One Who Works, His Wages Are Not Counted As A Gift

Romans 4:4–5 [4] Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. [5] And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, (ESV) Imagine this scene for a moment. You are sitting at your desk. It is Friday morning. Your boss comes into your tiny cubicle and brings you an envelope for your attention. You are a bit anxious, not knowing what this could be about. You open up the envelope and discover it is your paycheck for the previous week. You are overcome with emotion. You think of all the things that you can now do with this money. Your boss has already walked away but you run after him. You embrace him and begin to thank him profusely for this amazing act of generosity. You feel so unworthy to have received such a wonderful gift of financial blessing. Sound ridiculous? I hope so! You recognize that you get a paycheck because you worked for it. It is not an undeserved gift by a gene

Romans 4:3: Abraham Believed God, And It Was Counted To Him As Righteousness

Romans 4:3 [3] For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (ESV) We love to give ourselves credit, even when we do not deserve it. When it comes to our relationship with God there are many people who think that their own works have purchased a right standing with God. You can be sure, they are giving themselves credit that they do not deserve. When it comes to faith it comes down to God's credit, not ours. Paul says that Abraham believed God, and God counted Abraham's faith, or belief, as righteousness. This word "counted" is a legal term. It can be translated as "credited." It is as if your righteousness is a bank account. On your own you are bankrupt. God graciously looks at your account and credits it with his righteousness. You are wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. Paul is making a case that he wants the Jews to understand. They insisted that their righteousness was achieved by keeping

Romans 4:1-2: What Then Shall We Say Was Gained By Abraham, Our Forefather According To The Flesh?

Romans 4:1–2 [1] What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? [2] For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. (ESV) Did you ever sing that song, "Father Abraham," as a child? I certainly did! I wonder if the Jews of the Apostle Paul's day had a similar song. The Jews looked to Abraham as the founder of their nation. From a genetic standpoint they would be correct. Paul speaks here of Abraham, calling him "our forefather." This lets you know that he is talking to Jews. Let's listen in. What was gained by Abraham? Abraham was a man who heard from God. That is impressive. God reached out and talked to Abraham. In fact, God gave very bold directions to Abraham. He told him to get up from the land he was living and move his family and all his belongings and go to a land that God would show him. Abraham obeyed. God made a promise to Abraham that he would be the father

Romans 3:31: Do We Then Overthrow The Law By This Faith?

Romans 3:31 [31] Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. (ESV) There are people in every generation who love the idea of keeping the law. The attraction is that "If I keep the law, I am able to take credit for being righteous." Those who love this idea of keeping the law we will call legalists. In the time that Paul was writing this verse the legalists were the Pharisees. Jesus called them hypocrites. In our day, legalists are still hypocrites. Paul knew that this knew revelation of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ was going to get a reaction from the legalists of his day. The argument was that if we are justified (made right with God) apart from keeping the Old Testament law we are overthrowing the Law. It is a fair question: Are Christians law breakers by not insisting on keeping the Law? The answer is No. Paul says, "On the contrary, we uphold the law." The Law required death as a pena

Romans 3:30: Since God Is One--Who Will Justify The Circumcised By Faith And The Uncircumcised Through Faith

Romans 3:30 [30] since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. (ESV) In our world we seem to emphasize that which divides us. We can think of many different categories to place people in. We think of the rich and the poor. Black and white skin color. Man and woman. These distinctions are not good or bad, they are simply different. How we react to those differences is what is important. Let's take a look at all of mankind for a moment. God is the creator of everything and everyone. In his sovereignty he chose to covenant with the people of Israel. He made a way for them to approach him. He set them apart with the rite of circumcision. This physical act set them apart from the rest of mankind, whom we call the Gentiles, or the uncircumcised. The Jews had an opportunity to take this distinction of being circumcised and use it as an opportunity to glorify God and to invite all those who were uncircumcised to join them. There w

Romans 3:29: Or Is God The God Of Jews Only?

Romans 3:29 [29] Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, (ESV) What do you think of when you think of "Jewish people?" Probably you think of Moses and the Ten Commandments. Perhaps you remember their great Exodus from slavery in the land of Egypt. You likely think of the phrase, "God's chosen people." The reality is that the Jews were God's chosen people. And they knew it. Paul writes these words, "Or is God the God of Jews only?" Many Jews at the time Paul wrote this would have responded immediately, "Yes!" Over a millennium of history had gone by of God being the God of the Jews only. If you wanted to be part of God's covenant people, and you weren't born into the family, you could go through a process of becoming a Jew. What Paul is saying here would have been highly controversial to many people. For some people it continues to be controversial. Paul is saying that be

Romans 3:28: For We Hold That One Is Justified By Faith Apart From Works Of The Law

Romans 3:28 [28] For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. (ESV) Imagine, if you will, it is a beautiful sunny day. You have a convertible and decide it is time to put the top down, crank up the tunes, and go for a drive. As you get on to the highway you realize that you don't have a care in the world. You are having the time of your life. As you listen to your music blasting you hear another sound. It's kind of a kill joy. It's a siren. You pull off the highway and wait. You know what's coming. It's been a while since you've gotten a ticket, but you are well aware of the routine. You are not sure what to fear more; the expensive ticket or explaining to your wife why you were so irresponsible. The officer comes over and says to you, "Good day sir. You were going 100 miles per hour. Your ticket should be $500, but today it's free. Sounds like a great story doesn't it? In this story you were guilty of wrong. Yet

Romans 3:27: Then What Becomes Of Our Boasting?

Romans 3:27 [27] Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. (ESV) There is a consequence for those who would attempt to be made right with God by a law of works. Any success that could be gained in keeping even a small aspect of the law touches the prideful heart of man. Instead of giving God the glory for giving man the ability to do good man is likely to claim the glory for himself and boast about his efforts. This boasting in the law of works is something that Jesus himself encountered when he walked this earth. Consider those who were the most "religious" in the land. The Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, were the worst when it comes to boasting in the law of works. Jesus described their boastful actions. In Matthew 23:5 Jesus said this about the Pharisees:  "They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long." Jesus r

Romans 3:26: It Was To Show His Righteousness At The Present Time

Romans 3:26 [26] It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (ESV) One of my favorite preachers, Chuck Swindoll, tells a story in his book, The Grace Awakening , of a father and a son. The son had done something disobedient. The father leads his son into the bedroom, and takes off his belt for an inevitable spanking. The child knows he is guilty. He kneels down at the bed and prepares for what he knows is coming. Then something unexpected happens. The father tells the son to stand up. He hands the belt to his son and asks the son to strike his father with the belt instead. The child knows that the father did nothing wrong and resists, but finally, tearfully, obeys his father and gives the undeserved punishment. This was a lesson neither would forget. Consider the situation of sinful mankind. We were like the guilty child in the above story. We rebelled against all of God's righteous co

Romans 3:25: Whom God Put Forward As A Propitiation By His Blood

Romans 3:25 [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV) Why did God send his son, Jesus, to the earth? If you were to ask a crowd of random people that question I am sure you would get some interesting answers. Probably the most common would be that God wanted to show us love. Some might say that Jesus came to be a good teacher. Others would even say that he came to do miracles. Paul shows us something a little deeper in this verse. "Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood." This statement is intense. Propitiation means the satisfaction or payment of terrible (terrifying) wrath. Whose wrath? God's wrath had been stored up against all of mankind for violating his Law and living in sinful rebellion. We tend to minimize our sins. God does not. He required blood to be shed to satisfy his anger toward manki

Romans 3:24: And Are Justified By His Grace As A Gift

Romans 3:24 [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (ESV) The most amazing word in this verse is the word "gift." The fact that we can be justified before God is amazing. Redemption is hard enough to believe but we can maybe accept it. The word that is most difficult is the word "gift." If you doubt me I pray that you will meet some people who are still unbelievers for one reason; they refuse to have God's redemption as a gift. The fact that God would simply give us a right relationship with him based on his work and his work alone is hard for us to accept. We want to work for what we receive. We have a hard time simply receiving something from someone without doing at least something in return. God says, "Do you want to be made right with me? You cannot earn it. You must simply receive it." Let's look at some of the other words in this verse. What does it mean to be justified. Justif

Romans 3:23: For All Have Sinned And Fall Short Of The Glory Of God

Romans 3:23 [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (ESV) I once pastored a church where there was a prominent member who had a fundamental problem with this verse. This woman sung in the choir, led committees, and kept a detailed history of the church. By all accounts she would have been considered by most to be a Christian woman. There was one problem. She claimed that she had never sinned. She did not need forgiveness. This tragic example makes a very important point. All of a person's efforts at God's glory fall short. For this woman, her list of "church accomplishments" represented her standard of holiness. The problem is that her standard of holiness and God's standard of holiness were not the same. This is the case for anyone who attempts to be made right with God by human effort. If you only committed one sin in your whole life that would be amazing. Yet, that one sin alone would be enough to condemn you before God's holy

Romans 3:22: The Righteousness Of God Through Faith In Jesus Christ

Romans 3:22 [22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (ESV) The Jews and the Gentiles had one common problem. The Law that they had received was not sufficient to make them right with God. For the Jews the Law given to them by God to Moses let them know what the righteousness of God required, but it did not make them right with God. The Jewish Law simply let them know how they had failed. The Gentiles were not recipients of God's Law that the Jews had received. However, the Gentiles had on God's Law on their hearts, allowing them to know what was right and wrong. Did any Gentiles choose the right, and fully reject that which was wrong? No! All mankind, Jew and Gentile stands condemned by whichever Law they followed. Now the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ enters the picture. Everything changes. Jew and Gentile come by only one way to be made right with God. Jesus Christ is the way.

Romans 3:21: But Now The Righteousness Of God Has Been Manifested

Romans 3:21 [21] But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— (ESV) When Paul wrote these words it had been many centuries of the Jews having the Law. The Gentiles had the Law of God on their hearts. Neither the Jews nor the Gentiles had ever been successful in keeping the Law of God, not one person. The Law of God showed mankind what God demanded, but man could not fulfill it. But now. Paul had just written in the previous verses how incapable man was of righteousness on his own. He even went so far as to declare that no human being will ever be made right with God by keeping the Law. That is really bad news. Paul had to tell the bad news before now telling us the good news. The good news is that there is a new way to be made right with God. This new way of righteousness is apart from the law. This new way is Jesus Christ. He is fully God, yet he took on human flesh. He was the promised Messiah

Romans 3:20: For By The Works Of The Law No Human Being Will Be Justified

Romans 3:20 [20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (ESV) I don't particularly like mirrors. They have a terrible way of exposing all of my imperfections. In fact, the better the mirror, the worse I look. It would be one thing if I had a magic mirror that had a way of actually removing the imperfections that it exposes, but sadly there is no such mirror. Mirrors point out flaws, but they do nothing to fix them. Paul is talking about the Law. Through the law comes knowledge of sin. Imagine the Law of God as a spiritual mirror. The deeper you look into it the more evident it is that you are sinful. You are flawed. You have many imperfections. The Law perfectly exposes sin, but it does nothing whatsoever to get rid of the sin. By works of the Law no human being will be made right with God. Why? We are not able to keep the Law the way the Law demands to be kept. The Law is God's righteous, p

Romans 3:19: That Every Mouth May Be Stopped

Romans 3:19 [19] Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. (ESV) Truth has a way of silencing the arguments of fools. Have you ever known someone who seemed to be able to talk themselves out of any kind trouble? There are people who are very clever in defending themselves. There is a judgment coming that will show people for the guilty rebels that they are. No clever words will be able to get them out of their trouble. Every man and women will stand before God and give an account for the reality of their breaking God's Law. When Paul says that "every mouth may be stopped," he is saying that there will be no argument a man can raise that will get him out of his trouble. You may have fooled people on this earth. You may have even fooled yourself. You will not fool God. There are two aspects of the law that are spoken of here; those who rec

Romans 3:18: There Is No Fear Of God Before Their Eyes

Romans 3:18 [18] “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (ESV) Should we be terrified of God? There are many who think that God is only a God of love and not to be feared at all. Is God a God of judgment? The Apostle Paul is going to bring us some perspective on how how we should approach God. This verse is a quote from the Old Testament and is a statement on the overall condition of humankind in every generation. First of all, we are going to need to define the word "fear." This idea of fear is not necessarily terror, but rather it is a healthy sense of awe of God's greatness. It is astounding how man can look at God, and see all that he has made, and not be overwhelmed by a sense of awe at his greatness. I think of how man has come up with a theory of evolution primarily to excuse their ignoring of God. As a result of ignoring God's greatness and refusing to give him the glory that he deserves there is another aspect of fear that man should have. Man

Romans 3:17: And The Way Of Peace They Have Not Known

Romans 3:17 [17] and the way of peace they have not known.” (ESV) For those of you who are history buffs you may remember the title given to the First World War (1914-1918). It was referred to as "The war to end all wars." That is quite a title. Sadly, it was not true. 31 years later we had the Second World War. Wars continue on to this very day. We fight for peace, but there is too much fight and not enough peace. Paul helps us to understand the reason. The way of peace is not known to man by his nature. Man is driven by his own pride. He wants what he wants. When someone else gets what he wants he becomes jealous and responds in his anger to take back what he wanted. Peace is impossible if one is driven by pride. The world's first parents found out just how deadly a prideful heart can be. Imagine the joy that Adam and Eve had when Eve gave birth to children. How terrible then it must have been when Cain murdered his brother Abel because Abel got what Cain want

Romans 3:16: In Their Paths Are Ruin And Misery

Romans 3:16 [16] in their paths are ruin and misery, (ESV) I remember the night well. I was a young father and my wife needed to go somewhere. I  was at home with my sweet two year old. I was doing something important I recall, probably playing video games or watching football. My daughter was surely fine, because I heard no crying. In fact, I heard nothing at all. I was feeling confident in my parenting skills. At some point I got out of my comfortable chair and made my way down the hall. After all, I should at least check out how my sweet, perfect daughter was doing. And then I saw it. I am sure that in my daughter's mind she had created a masterpiece. with a black pen in one hand and a crayon in the other she had created an un-commissioned work of art on the entire wall in the hallway. Every squiggled line was evidence of her misbehavior. There was no getting around it. Mankind has similar evidences. All throughout history we can look where man has gone. We can see wha

Romans 3:15: Their Feet Are Swift To Shed Blood

Romans 3:15 [15] “Their feet are swift to shed blood; (ESV) When I was a child I remember going on long trips in the car with my parents. At that time a map was brought forth from the glove box and my poor sweet mother became the navigator. We followed the map and then my mother had to try to fold the map and get it back into the glove box. Young people today have no idea what kind of trauma this truly was. Today we have GPS technology in our cars, or at least in our smart phones. We type in a location and off we go. Our phone will even tell us when to make a turn, or if we are driving too fast. Imagine if you typed into your smart phone, "Find me a place where I can murder someone." That sounds horrifying, does it not? Paul describes a godless humanity as longing to shed blood. Murderous. He says their feet are swift to shed blood. At that time there was no such thing as automobiles. People walked wherever they were going. Where were they prone to go? To bring some

Romans 3:14: Their Mouth Is Full Of Curses And Bitterness

Romans 3:14 [14] “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” (ESV) What's in your mouth?  When I was a kid I remember playing games where you would shove as much as you could in your mouth, like M&M's or marshmallows. It was great fun to be able to say that you could hold more candy than someone else in your mouth. The Apostle Paul is talking about fallen mankind and what our mouths are full of. It is far worse than candy. Fallen mankind is described as having mouths full of curses and bitterness. Before we look at what is meant by curses and bitterness, we must consider where the mouth gets these things? Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 12:34. He told us, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." The curses and bitterness come from our heart. This truly indicts us. Let's talk about cursing. We generally think of cursing as using bad words; profanity. What the Apostle Paul is talking about is far worse than that. This word for

Romans 3:13: Their Throat Is An Open Grave; They Use Their Tongues To Deceive

Romans 3:13 [13] “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” (ESV) Have you ever spent time walking through a cemetery? On several occasions I have gone through a cemetery, reading all of the tombstones. I found it intriguing to imagine what kind of life was lived by the person buried beneath me. While it was fun to walk on top of the tomb beneath me, it would be quite another matter to dig one up and look inside! Graves are closed for two reasons. One reason is to give respect for the dead. The other reason is because of the stench! I am not sure if you have been around a dead body, but it is not an air freshener. The process of rot and decay in human flesh brings a stench that is just about unbearable. This is the image the Apostle Paul uses to help us understand the human condition. Here we have described for us the sinful man who does not know Jesus Christ. What comes out of his mouth is compared to what you

Romans 3:12: All Have Turned Aside; Together They Have Become Worthless

Romans 3:12 [12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (ESV) Imagine if you were a commander of an army. You plan for the day of battle. You lay out a map of where the enemy is camped. You look at where you will engage them. You organize plans for all of your troops, and your strategy looks perfect. There is just one problem. As you go into the camp of your soldiers you find that they have all run away. You are all alone. I may have created a ridiculous story, but consider for a moment that the "Lord of Hosts," God himself is the commander. Would you fight for him? Would you stand with him against the enemy? We would all love to answer yes to that question. The fact is, all of humankind is like the scenario I described at first. We have all run away. When Paul says that we "all have turned aside," he is using a term that was used to describe an army deserter. We have all turned aside. We are all desert

Romans 3:11: No One Understands; No One Seeks For God.

Romans 3:11 [11] no one understands; no one seeks for God. (ESV) There is a current trend in the American church that is rather troubling. Worship services are designed to appeal to the "seeker" in the midst. Instead of Sunday morning being focused on God's people coming together to give glory to God, worshiping together as believers, being instructed in the Word for the edification of the body, the service is designed for "seekers." There is one problem. The Apostle Paul addresses it right here. No one understands; no one seeks for God. Not only do we find this truth from the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. He is quoting the Old Testament! All of Scripture testifies to this truth about mankind. Man does not naturally seek after God. Who does the seeking? God! God is the ultimate seeker. Jesus said in Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” It is important for us to recognize this small fact of who is the seeker and