Inside Out Living

In the first chapter of the book of Romans in the New Testament, we read some helpful words for those of us who wrestle with trying to figure out what this sin nature is all about. Essentially the beginning of our depravity is the fact that we are unwilling to recognize and worship God as God. In saying the 'beginning of our depravity' I don't mean to imply that we are not born without a sin nature, for we most certainly are, rather it is to say that our refusal to recognize God as such is the source of sin and depravity. Now we see in this passage that even though we do inherit this depravity, its presence does not remove the ability nor the responsibility for making a decision to recognize and worship the one true God.

A key thought in this passage is in the middle of verse 21, "And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like." By definition the one who is created is not able to dictate who or what their creator is. This would be like a child who is able to pick their biological parents. The idea of this scenario would seem crazy to us and yet this is what many people do when it comes to their understanding of God. They pick and choose what they like or dislike about beliefs or statements of God, to create their own concept of who God is. Why would someone want to worship something that they have created in their own mind, unless the deity they have created then allows them to continue to live according to their own rules and conceptions of what life should be like. This is the issue for so many people is that they want to live life by a set of rules that they design rather than recognize that there is a God who created life, set the rules of the universe, and has lovingly revealed himself through Jesus Christ.

So the question for you today is this, are you worshipping a deity that you have defined to clear your conscience, or are you worshipping a Deity that created you and has revealed Himself to you?