His story - Wrath and the redemption - Part One
God tells his story. Where? Where else? In the Bible of course :0) That may seem simple enough especially for those of you who have been christians for a while but to someone just coming to Christ it may not be so obvious.
After all the Bible does have a very prominent t.v. and movie career. It plays the innocent and is used to pray. It plays the faithful and is used to swear an oath. It plays the teacher and is used for instruction and it plays the villain and is used for head bashing and condemning.
It has the longest running career of anything I can think of.
It's text is said to be hateful yet full of love, ancient yet still in mass production and historic yet still hands down wins the most likely to succeed vote of many.
It's secrets are openly shown but revealed only to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see.
Let's dig in.
To understand the Bible you must first ask questions. We will go slow at first and then tie all of the pieces together. Soon you will see the bigger plan God has designed.
The relationship between God and His creation is found in Romans 1:18-32.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Let's break that down.
v.18 - What did God reveal from Heaven? His wrath.
Why? Because of ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.
What do they do? They suppress the truth in their unrighteousness.
Now why would He be mad about that? v.19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Notice that the truth is evident in you first and then to you. In other words everyone knows within themselves what the real truth is and God says this truth is then proved by what is seen.
Let's keep going.
vs. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Ok, now here's the good part. God says first, that His attributes, power and divine nature are all invisible and second that they are clearly seen through what has been made.
That may sound strange but think about it. What do we know to be examples of what He is saying?
Air is invisible but the effects can be clearly seen. Airwaves are invisible but the effects are clearly seen. The invisible attributes of this world generate billions and billions of dollars each year.
We give them a name and then use them (the invisible attributes) in our daily lives without question.
Names like my favorite tv show (insert name) , my favorite song on the radio, solar power, electricity, gas and wireless. Can you see them, or just the effects of them?
Yet our minds cannot seem to grasp what God is saying. Why is that?
God says His effects are clearly seen by what has been MADE (the earth, the plants, man, the animals, the stars, the universe, water, planets etc.)
He lumps everyone of us into the same category named, "no excuse".
What can also be clearly seen, is not just what has been created but the relationship between what has been created.
Those relationships are not even something we have control over. Have you ever told a plant I refuse to breathe out for you? Have you ever demanded that the earth stop revolving long enough for you to get something done?
Have you ever flipped a switch to turn off the moon when you can't sleep? Does the sun stop shining because it's pouring down raining?
Stop and take a moment. What other relationships can you think of that are automatic, where neither of the objects or persons in the relationship has any control of the requirements of the other one?
Where did that come from? God, of course. He said it, not me.
This ends part- 1
Stop and look! Take in what you see during the day. Look at the amazing things that have been created. Look for the things which cannot be seen but would change the world we live in if they did not exist.
One example is gravity. We may know what it is and how it works and have given it a name, but can we see it? Do we know where it came from?
Google: "Where did gravity come from" and check out the various ways in which we can say I don't know.
God tells his story. Where? Where else? In the Bible of course :0) That may seem simple enough especially for those of you who have been christians for a while but to someone just coming to Christ it may not be so obvious.
After all the Bible does have a very prominent t.v. and movie career. It plays the innocent and is used to pray. It plays the faithful and is used to swear an oath. It plays the teacher and is used for instruction and it plays the villain and is used for head bashing and condemning.
It has the longest running career of anything I can think of.
It's text is said to be hateful yet full of love, ancient yet still in mass production and historic yet still hands down wins the most likely to succeed vote of many.
It's secrets are openly shown but revealed only to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see.
Let's dig in.
To understand the Bible you must first ask questions. We will go slow at first and then tie all of the pieces together. Soon you will see the bigger plan God has designed.
The relationship between God and His creation is found in Romans 1:18-32.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Let's break that down.
v.18 - What did God reveal from Heaven? His wrath.
Why? Because of ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.
What do they do? They suppress the truth in their unrighteousness.
Now why would He be mad about that? v.19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Notice that the truth is evident in you first and then to you. In other words everyone knows within themselves what the real truth is and God says this truth is then proved by what is seen.
Let's keep going.
vs. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Ok, now here's the good part. God says first, that His attributes, power and divine nature are all invisible and second that they are clearly seen through what has been made.
That may sound strange but think about it. What do we know to be examples of what He is saying?
Air is invisible but the effects can be clearly seen. Airwaves are invisible but the effects are clearly seen. The invisible attributes of this world generate billions and billions of dollars each year.
We give them a name and then use them (the invisible attributes) in our daily lives without question.
Names like my favorite tv show (insert name) , my favorite song on the radio, solar power, electricity, gas and wireless. Can you see them, or just the effects of them?
Yet our minds cannot seem to grasp what God is saying. Why is that?
God says His effects are clearly seen by what has been MADE (the earth, the plants, man, the animals, the stars, the universe, water, planets etc.)
He lumps everyone of us into the same category named, "no excuse".
What can also be clearly seen, is not just what has been created but the relationship between what has been created.
Those relationships are not even something we have control over. Have you ever told a plant I refuse to breathe out for you? Have you ever demanded that the earth stop revolving long enough for you to get something done?
Have you ever flipped a switch to turn off the moon when you can't sleep? Does the sun stop shining because it's pouring down raining?
Stop and take a moment. What other relationships can you think of that are automatic, where neither of the objects or persons in the relationship has any control of the requirements of the other one?
Where did that come from? God, of course. He said it, not me.
This ends part- 1
Stop and look! Take in what you see during the day. Look at the amazing things that have been created. Look for the things which cannot be seen but would change the world we live in if they did not exist.
One example is gravity. We may know what it is and how it works and have given it a name, but can we see it? Do we know where it came from?
Google: "Where did gravity come from" and check out the various ways in which we can say I don't know.
