“ Our Biblical World View”(1) God is the Creator Who is Judging His Creation 09/05/2021

The Need for a Biblical Worldview in a Secular Age

On my part given him this first Sunday, but be in the fact that he is recovering from the virus and whatnot asthma I'm covering for him today. Well, this is a first occasion of this new sermon series.

That we are beginning our biblical worldview and Frankly, I don't know how long it's going to be that we're going to be dealing with this matter. There's not a lot of information available frankly that I find suitable and So we'll just trust the Lord to help us through these matters.

I thought of entitling our subject the Christian worldview, but you know There's worldviews by people who profess to be Christian that are all over the map. And so I thought no we'll not call it a Christian worldview, but rather our biblical Worldview in attempt to narrow our topic, of course.

We certainly understand the biblical worldview should be the Christian worldview and so that's what we're asserting. Now in the series that we just completed that we called the unconverted believer dealing with nominal Christianity.

We were assuming that you know, everyone hearing us and reading our notes these I send these out now to 308 Email addresses every Lord's Day morning. I Would be reading those hearing those. And because we were attempting to deal with nominal Christianity, but with this series, we're beginning at a different starting point.

I Want to assume that there will be people reading these notes or hearing us who are not professing Christians at all in other words people out there in the world who You know have no clue perhaps as to a biblical worldview.

But I want to be able to set forth this worldview in a way that God has revealed in the Holy Scriptures, which of course we affirm to be true and right and The way that God has purpose and promise to bless.

That's our desire. Now we're of course living in an increasing secular world. We're no longer in a Christian world. Which we were for a number of centuries Generally speaking, but we are no longer. We're now in a world in which we cannot assume that a part the people we meet that a person we meet with whom we engage Conversation knows or believes anything regarding the God of the Bible the father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We have a different starting point. And so we're not like Paul in the synagogue speaking to people he knew Understood and believed a number of things were like Paul on Mars Hill talking to a pagan world who is clueless about the true real God of the Bible and So we live in a secular world and yet in comparison to the nations of the world.

Amazingly, the u .s. Is still quite religious and remains dominantly Christian at least in its self-perception.

Amazingly, I.

Read that only about 3 of Americans claim to be atheist another reported that as many as 10 Claim to be atheist deny the existence of God. About 23 of Americans are not affiliated with any organized religion and so we might say these people claim to Perhaps believe in God, but their faith has not brought them to any serious or sincere commitment to their faith.

Their faith does not impinge greatly on how they think and live. Interestingly about 40 of Americans classify themselves as very religious. Actually more claim to be Christian. It's up over 60 I believe.

Actually the population of this Northeast region the u .s. Is least religious than any other part of the nation. That was one of the motivations I had for coming here 23 years ago. I wanted to come to a place where There was not a great deal of Christian influence rather than the Bible Belt where everybody Claimed to be a Christian a lot of nominal Christianity down south.

But the Northeast is the least religious Region and so here was a statement regarding this. In a Gallup poll citizens from across the u .s. Were surveyed to determine whether religion is not important in their lives and say they seldom or never attend religious services from this poll.

Vermont and Maine were considered to be the least religious.

As.

More than half of their respective respondents stated that religion was not very important in their lives and then closely following these two far north eastern u .s. States is Religious indifference or disbelief were, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Washington Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Colorado and Connecticut.

All of whom had more than 40 of their respondents state that religion was not a focal point of their regular.

Lives.

When Mary and I were coming back from Germany, I either wanted to come to the Northeast or the Northwest.

Both both those.

Regions were in mind. But even among Christians there are a wide range of beliefs about who God is and how he relates and interacts with people in the world. This is more so today than at any time in history.

There are those who assert that one significant reason for this is the increased exposure to various religious beliefs of people. Different philosophies. From people in other parts of the world who were formerly localized and isolated.

The big change came in 1989 with the fall of the Iron Curtain and There was so much interaction between peoples all over the world. And so the whole idea of Multiculturalism came into play in the 90s and into this century.

The influence of our modern world has had a dramatic effect. Especially on the younger generation of people the so-called Millennials and those of Generation Z. I don't like those Labels, but they're there.

Who are decidedly more unreligious than our older? Americans we older folks seem to retain That which is more traditional. Our world contains a diverse and disparate number of religions and philosophies.

To which our Lord has called us to proclaim Jesus Christ to be the only Lord and Savior of sinners. Evangelism in today's world is a different different matter than say 40 years ago 50 years ago. It's a different world.

What a Biblical Worldview Is

Let's first answer the question. What is a biblical worldview? Well one's worldview refers to a comprehensive conception of the world from a specific standpoint. Advantage point worldview how you view the world.

An individual's worldview is his understanding of the overall picture of life and his beliefs about the world. It is his way of understanding reality. Your worldview is the context in which you see reality and make decisions in your day-to-day living.

A Biblical worldview then is a comprehensive understanding of the world from the perspective of the Bible God's Word. To Christians here's a couple definitions of Worldview. A worldview is a commitment a fundamental Orientation of the heart that can be expressed as a story or in a set of propositions presuppositions.

Assumptions, which may be true partially true or entirely false which we hold consciously or subconsciously. Consistently or inconsistently about the basic constitution of reality that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being more simple explanation of a worldview is this.

The term worldview is used to describe a core set of values and principles through which the world is understood. A Worldview is a compilation of an individual perceptions of the world essentially the way a person understands reality.

What is real. A person's worldview is very important as it impacts virtually every decision in life. A A specifically Christian worldview then would be viewing the world through a Christian biblical lens.

A Christian worldview is one in which the Bible is formative. Would certainly say that should be the case. The fact is every rational person has a worldview that shapes what he thinks and why he orders his daily life as he does and so.

This author stated the matter accurately. Everyone has a worldview whether they are conscious or unconscious of having one. And whether their worldview is relatively simple or sophisticated consistent or inconsistent true or false.

Moreover everyone necessarily has a view of themselves and the universe God and man right and wrong the beginning the meaning the goal of all things. A worldview. The issue is what worldview will be held or Will we hold the worldview taught in the scriptures and the reformed confessions?

Or.

One of the line worldviews would suppress and pervert God's truth and unrighteousness and call forth his wrath from heaven and. So you have a worldview. I have a worldview. We should have a biblical worldview.

Hopefully we do. A. Person's worldview therefore is a set of personal convictions. About values and principles of living the purpose for living in this world. One's worldview is how a person understands what's true real and what's valuable.

If one has a biblical worldview his perceptions and values are shaped by his own understanding of who God is. That he is a creator and he's the ruler of this world and that it is his responsibility To live in a manner that is in accordance with his God's will and that which pleases him pleases God.

And so that's what a biblical worldview is. Now we might answer the question do professing Christians have a biblical worldview. I put Christians in quotations broadly speaking Christian. Well the fact just because people call themselves Christians doesn't not necessarily mean that they espouse a biblical worldview.

There have been formal studies about this subject one having been conducted very recently in fact this spring published at the beginning of this summer and it was. It was conducted by an organization Entitled the Center for Biblical Worldview.

And I think I left maybe a website where you can find this complete report it conducted a national survey of about a thousand persons and They the survey dealt with perceptions about biblical worldview in its application.

And so here's a description a summary. There were much there was much much more information that I would have liked to have related but you know time is limited. In May 2021 Family Research Council Center for Biblical Worldview Commission met a formation Inc Under the direction of George Barna to conduct a nationwide survey regarding aspects of biblical worldview.

The objective was to provide original newsworthy research based Insights about how many people believe they possess a biblical worldview. If and to what extent they seek to integrate that worldview into every dimension of life.

What influences have helped them to do so and whether they believe that such? Integration matters to God. And the results of the survey were publicly announced and launched at an event in Washington on May 27th 2021 just a few months ago.

So this is recent. Well aside from the very broad way in which this study defined who is a Christian and. Even though the questions regarding a Christian worldview were very weak in my opinion and very sketchy.

Here are some of their their overall conclusions. Across America approximately two out of every three adults describes themselves as Christians. You know that's 66 for two out of two out of three. However based on the American worldview inventory conducted annually by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.

Just 6 adults and just 9 of those who call themselves Christian possess a biblical worldview. 9 of professing Christians and again in my opinion their Understanding or biblical definition of a biblical worldview is very weak and sketchy.

But even that they say. Only 9 who call themselves Christian. 81 who attend an evangelical church claim. They have a biblical worldview. 21 actually have one. 73 of adults who attend a Pentecostal or charismatic church claim.

They have a biblical worldview. 16 actually have one. 69 of adults who attend a mainline Protestant Church claim. They have a biblical worldview. 8 actually have one. 57 of adults who attend a Catholic Church claim.

They have a biblical worldview. 1 actually have one. Two-thirds of the people 68 who consider themselves to be Christian claim to have a worldview. Yet the American worldview inventory indicates that only 9 do.

So this is an issue and so what this study reveals is that relatively few professing Christians in America actually affirm a Biblical worldview that was set before them through this survey. It's all important that we understand the Word of God what it reveals to us about Who God is and how he relates and involves himself in the world?

What we think about God will have a direct effect on how we live in this world. Whereas a as a man thinks in his heart So is he how people think about God will impinge how they will live in God's world?

And so let's get our attention now to a passage Which addresses the need and importance to have a biblical worldview and the severe? consequences if you fail to have and order your life accordingly and That may be seen in Romans 1.

God the Creator Who Reveals His Wrath in History

I Trust is a familiar passage to most of us. Verses 18 through 32 here we have God's revelation of himself in his creation. And I might just say at the outset what this passage tells us in Romans 1 that God is not only the Creator But he is involved actively in all aspects of history as it unfolds.

God is not distant out there and unattached and only intervenes once in a while. God is the Creator and he is also the governor of history and so the Holy Scriptures Which are the written Word of God reveals to us that God is the Creator of all that exists and that he's actively watching and judging all people through history and So God not only exists, but he is working in all that transpires in his world.

I was reminded of Francis Schaeffer's book published by University so long well a generation ago He expressed it in his title the God who is there. The Apostle Paul's message to the church at Rome both presumes and proclaims this truth God is there.

And here in Romans 1 we read of the great importance for people everywhere to hold and live according to this worldview. That God is the Creator who is actively governing and superintending his world.

And so Paul wrote these words to Christians in the church. Located in the city of Rome the seat of the world empire of the first century. And they are very pointed and direct words that just You know slap a whirling in the face when you read them in in today.

In today's world Paul wrote the Holy Spirit wrote through Paul for the wrath of God is revealed is being revealed From heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

Because what they what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them. 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 professing to be wise they became fools.

And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts.

To dishonor 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. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions.

For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another men with men committing what is shameful Receiving in themselves the penalty of the error which was due.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting. Being filled with all unrighteousness sexual immorality wickedness covetousness Maliciousness full of envy murder strife deceit evil-mindedness.

They are whispers backbiters haters of God violent proud boasters inventors of evil things disobedient to parents Undiscerning untrustworthy unloving unforgiving. Unmerciful who knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death.

Not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them very direct hard-hitting passage. Especially in this present day, of course. For this passage is one of the clearest declarations in the word of God, of course against the sin of homosexuality.

And though it's included that sin is included with quite an extensive list of other sins against God. This is one of the number of sit of vice lists that we have in the scriptures that we mentioned last week.

The scriptures depict the sin of homosexuality to be unnatural and shameful. It's not a source of pride according to the Word of God, but it should be a source of shame. It's the manifestation of the descent of mankind into decadence that is a result of God's judgment.

For.

Having turned away from him and Again, it's probably the most offensive and objectionable passages of scriptures to the world in which we're living at the first quarter in the first quarter of the 21st century.

But although this passage is rejected by today's world we embrace and proclaim without apology What God's Word teaches us regarding these matters? And so even though we expose ourselves to ridicule and hostility in the community Even as this message has been going out You know on YouTube and sermon audio and locals Access television stations will not apologize for God's Word or diminish or obscure its clarity or in any way soft-pedal Implications, of course, we stress that much more than homosexual sin is condemned in this passage but further we should understand that this pronouncement of God's judgment against sin is necessary and preparatory for bringing God's mercy and grace and salvation for sinners such as the ones described before us and this was this was Paul's intention of dealing with this he had to lay this groundwork before people would Even be see their need for a Savior that he presents later on in the book of Romans.

And so as we approach this passage of Holy Scripture, it's important that we understand its role in the Apostles teaching. To the church at Rome Paul gave his formal introduction to this epistle in the two verses just before the passage we read Verses 16 and 17 in which Paul declared for I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. To the Jew first and also to the Greek for in it that is in the gospel The righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith as it's written.

The righteous shall live by faith. And so the gospel that Paul was proclaiming or would present to his readers Concerned the righteousness of God to save sinners through faith. This gospel was the same for all people everywhere both Jew and Gentile.

It's a worldwide gospel. But the people the first century would not have readily embraced this message for there was a great difference in opinion about the need of salvation and the way of Salvation from the perspective of both Jews and Gentiles.

The Gentiles were ignorant. The Jews were self-righteous. Paul would show that all the world was in need of this gospel in order to commend it fully to his readers. So bit Paul began to lay out a case that both Gentiles and Jewish people were sinners Who were under the wrath of God who are all in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ and so beginning with verse 18 Paul argued the whole world is under sin and All the Jews would have of course affirmed this as they heard and read this.

He was talking about the Gentiles principally. In which he showed forth the whole world under sin in need of salvation Which only comes through Jesus Christ alone. One once described Paul's effort. Every person is without excuse because every person whether a first century pagan or a 20th century Materialist has been given a knowledge of God and has spurned that knowledge in favor of idolatry In all its varied Manifestations and idolatry is the chief sin set forth here in Romans 1.

All these other sins are manifestations of idolatry. All therefore stand under the awful reality of the wrath of God and all are in desperate need of the Justifying power of the gospel of Christ. We will never come to grips with the importance of the gospel or be Motivated as we should be to proclaim it until this sad truth has been fully integrated into our worldview.

So this is a good beginning point. There is a God and he is there and he's active in history judging sinful people. Paul began his argument with the passage that we read. He continues his argument through Romans 2 all of Romans 2 and well into Romans 3.

Concluding this aspect of his teaching with Romans 3 9 and 10 and verses 19 and 20. What then are we Jews any better off than Gentiles? No, not at all for we have already charged at all both Jews and Greeks are under sin as it's written.

None is righteous. No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God. No one. And Then now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law and all people outside of Christ Are under the law as a covenant Before their Creator.

So that every mouth may be stopped the whole world may be held accountable to God for by the works of the law No human being will be justified in its sight since through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Keeping the commandments of God saves. Nobody it damns everybody and so between Romans 1 18 and Romans 3 20 the Apostle set forth before his readers the guilt of all the world and He declared the need for sinners to experience the grace of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For it alone is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Now let's begin to work through these verses and see what Paul is declaring. Again, it's a an indictment against all idolaters.

We read in verse 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppressed the truth. Now we read in verse 17 where Paul declared that the righteousness of God is being revealed and He stated basically the righteousness of God was being revealed in the gospel and Now he's declaring in verse 17 that the righteousness of God is being revealed or rather verse 18 That the wrath of God reveals the righteousness of God the gospel reveals the righteousness of God.

But also the wrath of God reveals the righteousness of God. The righteousness is real, the wrath of God is revealed. Both of these statements speak of the present ongoing work of God in history in judging people of this world.

That's what's taking place right now in the world. God is exercising his righteous judgment in history. He's revealing righteousness through the gospel. He's revealing righteousness through his wrath as well.

Many people who are at least theists in their belief system and that they believe God exists do not believe that God is actively involved in this world. And many professing Christians think that too. Many professing Christians pray for God to intervene, to manifest his presence and power in this world as though he were outside of the world and not really involved.

Oh Lord, come and intervene and do a work, so often said. They believe God is absent, uninvolved. But Paul has assured his readers that God is not only revealing his righteousness and bringing salvation, he declares that God is also actively revealing his wrath upon sin and the unfolding of history.

What we're seeing in the world today is a revealing of the righteousness of God's wrath on a fallen world. You hear many professing Christians, well, if we don't turn, God is gonna judge us. God is judging us.

This is how he's always worked through history and that's what Paul is declaring. For the wrath of God is revealed, is being revealed, present tense, from heaven against all ungodliness and righteousness of men.

What is God's wrath? Arthur Pink described it. The wrath of God is his eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It is the displeasure and indignation of divine equity against evil. It is the holiness of God stirred in activity against sin.

It's the moving cause of that just sentence which he passes upon evildoers. God is angry against sin because it's a rebelling against his authority, a wrong done to his inviolable sovereignty. Insurrectionists against God's government shall be made to know that God is Lord.

They shall be made to feel how great that majesty is which they despise and how dreadful is that threatened wrath which they so little regarded. Not that God's anger is a malignant malicious retaliation inflicting injury for the sake of it or in return for injury received.

No, while God will vindicate his dominion as the governor of the universe, he will not be vindictive. That's an important point to make. I'm gonna pass over John Gill's description of the wrath of God and drop down to J .I. Packer's comment.

We'll pass over some more statements by Pink but I would urge you to read it at a later time. Packer wrote about the relative little attention given to the wrath of God in the churches, proclamation of the world today.

The modern habit throughout the Christian church is to play the subject down. Those who still believe in the wrath of God, not all do, say little about it. Perhaps they do not think much about it. To an age which has unashamedly sold itself to the gods of greed, pride, sex and self-will, the church mumbles on about God's kindness but says virtually nothing about his judgment.

How often during the past year did you hear or if you were a minister, did you preach a sermon on the wrath of God? How long is it, I wonder, since a Christian spoke straight on this subject on radio or television or in one of those half-column sermonettes that appear in some national dailies and magazines?

And if one did so, how long would it be before he would be asked to speak or wrote again? A .W. Tozer, you know, at the end of his life said, I've preached myself out of about every pulpit in America.

We may well ask whether this is as it should be for the Bible behaves very differently. One cannot imagine that talk of divine judgment was ever very popular and yet the biblical writers engage in it constantly.

One of the most striking things about the Bible is the vigor with which both testaments emphasize the reality and terror of God's wrath. A study of the concordance will show that there are more references in scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God than there are to his love and tenderness.

We ought to be able to look out at the world today and in our society, our culture, in our lives, and we should see the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

God is at work. The wrath of God is dynamically, effectively operative in the world of men and it's proceeding from heaven, the throne of God that is thus active. There is a positive outgoing of the divine displeasure.

A biblical worldview sees the wrath of God as being manifest to a great degree through his world. And this is why I thought it important to start with this subject. God is revealing himself in history.

God's wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. There may be a distinction between, there is a distinction between these two forms of sin. The first ungodliness is the sin within the realm of one's duty before God.

It's religious in nature, ungodliness. And Paul shows the manifestation of the sin of ungodliness is in the sin of idolatry. And then second, unrighteousness is in the realm of morality, ungodliness and unrighteousness.

Morality, Paul shows that the manifestation of unrighteousness is immorality. God is actively, judicially administering justice, manifesting his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

And so God is just in the administration of his wrath for the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men is conducted even as they suppress the truth. In other words, these people aren't innocent. They have an understanding of what they're doing.

Now they suppress it, convince themselves otherwise. But this statement suggests there's full culpability on their part. The wrath of God has revealed the people who sin, but who know that they are sinning against God.

The fact they may not seem to understand or be aware of God's judicial dealings among them is because they actively and energetically suppress the truth and the world increasingly is doing that. Paul then explains what he meant by this idea, they're suppressing the truth, verse 19, for what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them.

Paul declares God had revealed knowledge about himself to these who were on the receiving end of his wrath. They knew better, their guilt is great. God's wrath upon them is just. People know intuitively that there is a God and that they are accountable to him.

I referenced a book by Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There, and basically that was his assertion that people of the world know there is a God there, but they suppress it. People are not born atheists.

You gotta educate somebody to become an atheist. Everywhere in the world, people are religious unless they're taught otherwise. There's an intuitive sense about us. As one declared once, in every human being, there's a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill rightly.

They suppress the truth. Their guilt is great. What was it that God had shown these people, indeed to all people everywhere? Verse 20 records for his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power, divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made so that they are without excuse.

And so God has revealed through creation that he exists. How can you draw any other conclusion? At some point, we'll probably have to talk about the philosophy of materialism, you know, the evolutionists.

We claim that God is infinite and eternal. There was never a time God did not exist. He's infinite in every way. They claim there was never a time there wasn't something material, physical, that it is eternal, it is infinite.

And we would say that's ludicrous. They are infusing in physical things what we understand and affirm to our God. They're making a God out of creation.

They're idolaters.

And it's nonsensical when you carry it out to its conclusion. They're the ones who don't make any sense if you push upon them. And you see some videos on YouTube where you find a Christian who's pretty sharp at these matters, and he levels it against some of these evolutionists and these scientists and so-called philosophers, and they're just rendered silent because they don't have a legitimate response.

They cannot respond because their philosophy is bankrupt. There's no solid foundation if you carry it through.

Oh, well.

I suppose we'll have to hit that at some point. God has shown them that there are invisible attributes of him, power, divine nature, it's there. Psalm 19, we won't read it, but it declared, the heavens declare, it's the heavens are a witness.

It's like they're witnessing every day and every night, this is God, this is who God is, this is what he's like. And so all people everywhere, all over the world, they're having this witness of God being proclaimed to them through what is seen, the invisible attributes of his eternal power and divine nature.

And so Paul states in verse 21, for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. See, the worldview that most people embrace is that which is taught by the evolutionists and the materialists.

They understand history to record the gradual development of primitive man into a more sophisticated and thinking person whose religions also underwent gradual development from primitive man. Primitive idea is to hire a more complex system as the millennia unfolded, but the scriptures declare mankind is not improving, but he's in decline.

There was a time when all mankind knew about the God who had created them more clearly and fully than they do now. By their suppression of the truth, it resulted in a decayed departure of their former privilege and knowledge.

And this historical degradation is suggested by Paul's words, for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. When Paul wrote, although they knew God, he's not saying they knew God in a saving way, in a personal saving relationship, but they knew of God's existence and they knew in a measure what he's like, but they failed to respond in a manner that that knowledge should have led them.

And so the two great sins that unbelievers commit in their disregard of God is failing to honor God, they fail to give glory to God, and secondly, in their failure to render thanksgiving to God for who he is and for all that he has done.

And so people refuse to glorify God as God. They are in this way failing in the major purpose for which God had created them, to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. When people live in disregard of God, when they do not respond to God in a right manner, they experience degradation in their reasoning and in their moral standards.

Those who fail or refuse to glorify God or thank God for who he is and what he's done experience a judicial diminishment in their capacity and their ability to understand spiritual matters rightly and clearly.

People become futile in their thinking, they're foolish. That doesn't mean they're ignorant, but the fool in the word of God describes a person who fails to order his life according to God's ways. It's a fool's errand to live in God's world as though God doesn't exist.

And then in verses 22 and 23, Paul shows the level to which these people fall because of their willful rejection of God and failure to worship him. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men, birds, animals and creeping things.

In other words, they became idolaters. If you're not a God worshiper, you will be a creature worshiper of some form. Idolatry is one of the major sins of fallen mankind. What is idolatry? Right in the middle of page eight, J .C. Ryle provided this definition.

Idolatry is a worship in which the honor due to God and Trinity and to him only is given to some of his creatures or to some invention of his creatures. That's what idolatry is. And so we tend to think of idolatry maybe in primitive lands among animistic people, uneducated who carve a God from a tree, bow down and serve it.

No, idolatry is present whenever the true God is not worshiped or is not worshiped rightly. All of us are idolaters to a certain degree. God created man as a worshiping creature. Man will devote himself to something.

When he devotes himself to honor God and be appreciative to God throughout his existence and his relationship, everything about him may be enjoyed in its proper role in God's world and in his purposes.

And so the true worshiper, the true God, the creator will be truly in harmony with God in all that he has made, that he's given to richly enjoy. But the one who refuses to honor God as God and thank God as God, these ones described in Romans one will twist and abuse the things that God made for man's use and pleasure and make them into idols.

They become the focal point of life, the meaning of life. And so those things become snares to him and troublers of his soul. The idolater gives his time, his talent and treasure to these matters and we can make an idol of anything, can't we?