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Romans 1:29-31 NASB

NT

Romans 1:29-31

nasb

29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are a gossips, 30 slanderers, 1 a haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, b disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, a unloving, unmerciful;

Block Diagram

Romans 1:28-32

mine

1:18-32

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God

Cf

any longer,

God gave them over

to a depraved mind,

Ac/Res

to do those things

Ac/Res

which are not proper,

Id/Exp

a) being filled with all

a) unrighteousness,

Id/Exp

b) wickedness,

c) greed,

d) evil;

b) full of

a) envy,

Id/Exp

b) murder,

c) strife,

d) deceit,

e) malice;

[S]

Gn/Sp

c) they are

a) gossips,

Id/Exp

b) slanderers,

c) haters of God,

d) insolent,

e) arrogant,

f) boastful,

g) inventors of evil,

h) disobedient to parents,

i) without understanding,

j) untrustworthy,

k) unloving,

l) unmerciful;

and although they know the ordinance of God,

Csv

that those ... are worthy of death,

Gn/Sp

who practice such things

Gn/Sp

a) they not only do the same,

[P]

Id/Exp

hearty

Ac/Man

b) but also give ... approval to those

who practice them.

Gn/Sp

phrasing

notes

Notes

While focusing specifically on the unregenerate gentile, another term Paul uses to describe them is "inventors of evil". Many will then ask "But don't Christians also sin? What's the difference then between what Paul is describing here, and a Christian who sins?" It is true that, this side of heaven, we still have the sinful flesh to contend with. Paul says in Galatians 5:17 that "the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another," and he also lists the "deeds of the flesh" in verse 19-21 - "immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these" - a list that could easily be reconciled to the unregenerate gentile which Paul has just described in Romans 1. And while it is true that, as a Christian, one may still fall into sin, even "times of sin," there is a difference. Paul says here that they are "inventors of evil," and similarly John calls these people "one who PRACTICES sin" (1 John 3:8). An unregenerate person will make plans, or purpose in his heart, to sin. He will deliberately orchestrate his environment and circumstances so that he will be able to sin, and then carry out that plan. The genuine Christian, on the other hand, will make plans actively, and actively orchestrate his environment and circumstances NOT to sin, and will continually guard against sin and pray for God's enabling power and protection. And when he falls, he will do a few things: - First, he will test himself, to see whether he is in the faith (2 Cor 13:5), because one who IS in the faith will persevere (Matt 24:13) in humble obedience and repentance until the end. - Then he will feel a genuine sorrow over his sin, not a worldly sorrow that is sad over the sin that he has to forsake, but a sorrow over what his sin has cost God and Christ. A sorrow that will lead to the next item on the list... (2 Cor 7:9-11) - Repentance. Genuine, godly sorrow, will lead to repentance - a continual turning away from sin, and turning to God and obedience (2 Cor 7:9-11). - Having recognized his sin, experiencing genuine sorrow over it, and genuine repentance in the heart about it, he will confess it before God, who is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). - Finally, he will actively make plans and purpose in his heart to not make the same mistake again. Why? Because it is God who is at work in him, both to WILL and to WORK for His good pleasure (Phi 2:13). Even though we are still in the flesh, Paul makes clear later in Romans that we "do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit," that we "are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in" us, and that "we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh." And if all of this is true and happening in our lives, then "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." Obedience brings the only rightful assurance of salvation that we can have. While we are willfully and continually disobedient, we should and must doubt our salvation. And if our salvation is true, we WILL turn from our sin and back to God continually in this life, and so regain our assurance of salvation (Rom 8:1-15). 1 John 3:4-10 Everyone who PRACTICES sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. NO ONE who abides in Him sins; NO ONE who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who PRACTICES righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who PRACTICES sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. NO ONE who is born of God PRACTICES sin, because His seed abides in him; and he CANNOT sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are OBVIOUS: ANYONE who does NOT PRACTICE righteousness is NOT of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.