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JULY 30

1:20 they are without excuse. God holds all 1:21 knew God. Man is conscious of God’s
men responsible for their refusal to acknowl- existence, power, and divine nature through
edge what He has shown them of Himself in general revelation (vv. 19,20). they did not
His creation. Even those who have never had glorify Him. Man’s chief end is to glorify God
an opportunity to hear the gospel have (Lev.10:3;1 Chr.16:24–29;Ps.148;Rom.15:5,6),
received a clear witness about the existence and Scripture constantly demands it (Ps.
and character of God—and have suppressed 29:1,2; 1 Cor. 10:31; Rev. 4:11).To glorify Him is
it. If a person will respond to the revelation he to honor Him, to acknowledge His attributes,
has, even if it is solely natural revelation, God and to praise Him for His perfections (Ex.
will provide some means for that person to 34:5–7). It is to recognize His glory and extol
hear the gospel (Acts 8:26–39; 10:1–48; 17:27). Him for it. Failing to give Him glory is man’s
greatest affront to his Creator (Acts 12:22,23).
nor were thankful. They refused to acknowl-
edge that every good thing they enjoyed
honor their bodies among themselves, who came from God.
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exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and
worshiped and served the creature rather than
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the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. not fitting; being filled with all unrighteous-
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile ness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covet-
passions. For even their women exchanged ousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder,
the natural use for what is against nature. strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whis-
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27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural perers, backbiters, haters of God, violent,
use of the woman, burned in their lust for one proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
another, men with men committing what is disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning,
shameful, and receiving in themselves the untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmer-
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penalty of their error which was due. ciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment
28 And even as they did not like to retain God of God, that those who practice such things
in their knowledge, God gave them over to a are deserving of death, not only do the same
debased mind, to do those things which are but also approve of those who practice them.
DAY 30: How did Paul maintain his commitment to the gospel?
Paul tells us in Romans 1:16:“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.” He had been impris-
oned in Philippi (Acts 16:23,24), chased out of Thessalonica (Acts 17:10), smuggled out of Berea
(Acts 17:14), laughed at in Athens (Acts 17:32), regarded as a fool in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:18,23), and
stoned in Galatia (Acts 14:19), but Paul remained eager to preach the gospel in Rome—the seat of
contemporary political power and pagan religion. Neither ridicule, criticism, nor physical persecu-
tion could curb his boldness.
“For it is the power of God.” The English word “dynamite” comes from this Greek word.
Although the message may sound foolish to some (1 Cor. 1:18), the gospel is effective because it
carries with it the omnipotence of God. Only God’s power is able to overcome man’s sinful nature
and give him new life (5:6; 8:3; John 1:12; 1 Cor. 1:18,23–25; 2:1–4; 4:20; 1 Pet. 1:23).
“The power of God to salvation.” Used 5 times in Romans (the verb form occurs 8 times), this
key word basically means “deliverance” or “rescue.”The power of the gospel delivers people from
lostness (Matt. 18:11), from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9), from willful spiritual ignorance (Hos. 4:6;
2Thess.1:8),from evil self-indulgence (Luke 14:26),and from the darkness of false religion (Col.1:13;
1 Pet. 2:9). It rescues them from the ultimate penalty of their sin, i.e., eternal separation from God
and eternal punishment (Rev. 20:6).
“For everyone who believes.”To trust,rely on,or have faith in.When used of salvation,this word
usually occurs in the present tense (“is believing”) which stresses that faith is not simply a one-time
event, but an ongoing condition. True saving faith is supernatural, a gracious gift of God that He
produces in the heart (Eph.2:8) and is the only means by which a person can appropriate true righ-
teousness.Saving faith consists of 3 elements: 1) mental: the mind understands the gospel and the
truth about Christ (10:14–17); 2) emotional: one embraces the truthfulness of those facts with sor-
row over sin and joy over God’s mercy and grace (6:17; 15:13); and 3) volitional: the sinner submits
his will to Christ and trusts in Him alone as the only hope of salvation.

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