glory – Page 4 – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: glory

Romans 11:36 – It’s All His

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Will

Romans 11:36 – It’s All His

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Truth to Learn

God deserves all our praise for only He is worthy.

Behind the Words

There is a three-fold expression that Paul uses in the first part of this verse which is very simple and yet profound. In the Greek Paul says ex autou kai di autou kai eis autou ta panta. Let’s look at this in detail.

The word kai simply means “and” and the word autou means “him, that is, in relation to him or with respect to him.” Next, let’s look at the three words ex, di, and eis. All three of these are prepositions. The first, ex is a form of ek, meaning “from” or “out of,” implying that He is the source. The second preposition is di, a contraction of dia, meaning “through, either as movement or as the instrument of action.” Finally, the third preposition is eis, meaning “into” or “unto.” Paul then finishes the first phrase with the two words, ta panta which mean “all things,” or “everything.” Thus, Paul says that all things originate with God, He is the instrument of action for all events, and all things will culminate in Him.

“Glory” is translated from doxa, from which we get our English word doxology. It is derived from the verb dokeō, meaning “thought or opinion, particularly favorable human opinion.” Thus, we see that doxa means “dignity, glory, or honor.” This word is sometimes translated as “praise” or “worship,” since that is the highest possible form of favorable human opinion.

The Greek expression translated “forever” is eis tous aiōnas. This literally means “unto the ages” or “forever.”

Putting this all together we see that this verse says: All things come from God, are created and sustained by God, and ultimately belong to God. Therefore, He alone should receive our praise both now and forever! Amen.

Meaning Explained

Paul ends this chapter of Romans with a doxology that we would all do well to meditate on. He says that everything which exists, both physical and spiritual, has its source in God and God alone. Everything that is, exists through God’s instrumentality, that is, it has come into being as a result of His creative action. Finally, everything that exists belongs to God and will be laid at His feet, and all creatures will give Him the glory. We see this in the heavenly scene painted for us by the Apostle John in the book of the Revelation:

the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11)

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13)

Application

Think about that as you celebrate Christmas this year!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 9:4 – New Old Truths

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Will

Romans 9:4 – New Old Truths

who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;

Truth to Learn

We can learn a lot about our faith from the Old Testament.

Behind the Words

The word translated “adoption” is huiothesia, which is composed of huios, meaning “a son” and a form of tithēmi, meaning “to place.” Thus we see that it is a reference to the placing of a person as a child, or “adoption.”

“Covenants” is translated from diathēkēs, which refers to “the disposition which a person makes of his property in the prospect of death.” The English word “dispensation” expresses the idea fairly closely. It is a reference here to the dispensations or covenants that God made with the patriarchs and the Jews.

Meaning Explained

Paul now continues on from the previous verse. He said that he almost wished that he was accursed for the sake of his kinsmen, the Jews. He is making a comparison between the things he has been teaching about the church (chosen by God, adopted by God, given promises by God, etc.) and the Jewish people. In doing so he will demonstrate to his Jewish brethren that God’s dealings with the church are very much the same as His past dealings with the Jews (until the time they rejected the Messiah). In the current verse Paul begins to detail some of the special privileges that the Jews had. Let’s look at each of them.

“Who are Israelites” – They are the descendents of Jacob (renamed Israel by God when Jacob wrestled with God at Penuel – See Genesis 32:28.) Jacob means “trickster” and Israel means “a prince of God.”

“To whom pertain the adoption” – This is probably a reference to Deuteronomy 7:6 where God chose them (the Israelites) as a special people to Him above all people that are on the face of the earth. Is it fair that God chose the descendants of Jacob (Israel) and excluded all others? This is an example of God’s election (choosing) just like His election of Christians.

“The glory” – probably a reference to the glory of God which led the Israelites through the wilderness.

“The covenants” – The various compacts or promises which had been made from time to time with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with the nation of Israel.

“The giving of the Law” – On Mount Sinai – see Exodus 20.

“The service of God” – A reference to the temple service which was a point of pride for Israel, indicating that only they worshiped at the true temple of the true God.

“And the promises” – Most notably the promise of the coming Messiah from the seed of David.

In showing to his brethren in the flesh that theirs was a special relationship with God, Paul will soon show them that this relationship does not guarantee righteousness. That only comes from believing the promise of the Messiah and accepting the Messiah when he comes, which they didn’t do.

Application

There is much for the church to learn from studying God’s dealings with the Old Testament saints. We serve the same God, and He deals with us much the same as He did with them. For us, as well as them, it is a relationship built on faith.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 8:18 – Suffering for Glory

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Will

Romans 8:18 – Suffering for Glory

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Truth to Learn

Our future glory is far greater than our current suffering.

Behind the Words

The expression “I consider” is from the Greek word logidzomai, meaning “to count, to impute, to estimate, or to reckon.

“Sufferings” is translated from pathēma, a noun form of the verb paschō, meaning “to feel strong emotion or sensation, to suffer, or to experience.” It is most often used to refer to painful suffering either physically or emotionally.

The words “not worthy” are translated from ouk axia. As we have discussed before, ouk refers to the absolute negative. The word axia is a form of axios which is a reference to two items placed on a balance scales which are of comparable weight, causing the scales to balance perfectly. This perfect balance indicates the relative worth of one of the items on the scales. Hence, the word has come to refer to the comparable worth of an item.

The word “revealed” is from apokaluptō. This is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from or away from” and kaluptō, meaning “to cover” or “to conceal.” Thus, we see that apokaluptō means “to uncover” or “to reveal.” This is the word that is translated “Revelation” as the name of the last book in the New Testament.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that since we are joint heirs with Christ, as members of God’s family, we can also expect to suffer with Him. Whenever we suffer because of being Christians, we are suffering with Christ. We are sharing in the pain of rejection, misunderstanding, betrayal, false accusation, persecution, and physical torture that Christ knew before and during his crucifixion.

But Paul now gives us a glimmer of hope that we can hang on to whenever we are going through those times of suffering. He starts off with the expression, “For I consider.” It is Paul’s belief that whatever sufferings we might have to go through in this life, they are of little value or consequence when compared with the incredible glory that we will receive in Heaven.

In verse seventeen Paul said that if we suffer with Christ, we may also be glorified with Him. Well, now Paul says that the present suffering that we are going through for Christ’s sake is in no way comparable to that glory that we are going to share with and from Christ. This is something that we should all hold dear to our hearts.

Application

The next time you feel like you are being persecuted, mistreated, or attacked because you are a witness for Christ, remember that you are suffering for His sake, and some day you will be glorified with Him and for His sake. No matter how much physical pain or mental anguish you may have to endure now, it is temporary and insignificant compared to the glory He will give to you for eternity.

Makes the suffering a little more bearable, doesn’t it?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 5:3 – Joyful Tribulation

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Will

Romans 5:3

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

Truth to Learn

We also rejoice in difficult times because these are the times when we learn to endure hardship.

Behind the Words

The Greek word that is translated “glory” in the current verse is the word kauchomai, which means “to boast (either in a good or a bad sense)” or “to rejoice.” However, in the previous verse the word translated “glory” is a different Greek word. It is the word doxes, which primarily means “thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion,” and thus in a secondary sense “reputation, praise or honor.” But the word in the previous verse that is translated “rejoice” is kauchomai. Therefore, to be consistent in our translation, we see that the word “glory” in the current verse should probably be translated “rejoice.”

“Tribulations” is translated from thlipsis, which is derived from the verb thlibō, meaning “to crush, compress, or squeeze.” Hence, we can see that thlipsis refers to “pressure, affliction, distress, or tribulation.”

The word translated “perseverance” is hupomonē, which is made up of hupo (or hypo), meaning “under or beneath” and a form of menō, which means “to stay or to remain.” It is a picture of a beast of burden who, when loaded with a heavy burden, remains under the load. That is, he perseveres under the load with patience.

Meaning Explained

Paul now tells us that not only do we rejoice in our confident expectation of standing in the glory of God one day, but we also glory or rejoice in afflictions.

So, what Paul is saying in this verse is that we rejoice in tribulation, distress, or affliction. But that doesn’t make sense, does it? When we are in the midst of tribulation, do we feel like rejoicing? No! But Paul says that we should. Why? Because when we are undergoing trials and tribulations and we realize that Jesus went through even greater trials and tribulation (leading up to and while on the cross), we can identify with Him and gain some comfort in the fact that He knows what we are going through. This, then, helps us endure the tribulation, and by enduring it we learn patience.

Patience is one of those things that everyone wants to have without having to earn it. Unfortunately, though, patience can only be learned and fully developed under trying circumstances, and even then only by trusting in God to carry us through. James teaches us a very similar thing regarding trials which test our faith:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:2-3)

The word translated “patience” in James is the same word as the one translated “perseverance” in today’s verse.

Application

Beware of asking God for patience unless you’re really serious. God may very well give it to you by taking you through trying or distressing situations through which you will develop patience if you remain under the load.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:

Romans 5:2 – Glorious Access

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Will

Romans 5:2

through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Truth to Learn

We have access to God’s grace and look forward to being in His presence.

Behind the Words

The word translated “access” is prosagōgē, which is made up of pros, meaning “to or toward” and a form of agō, which means “to lead, to bring, or to come.” Hence, prosagōgē means “bring near or access.” The concept of access has two aspects to it. The first is the ability to get somewhere or to have something and the other is the authority or right to get somewhere or to have something. This Greek word means both, but the emphasis is on the latter, the authority.

“Have” is translated from the Greek word echo, which means “to have, as if to hold in one’s hand.” In other words, the access we just described is something which we possess. This possession is even more significant because echo is expressed in the perfect tense. This particular tense has no direct equivalent in English. It signifies a completed past action with a resultant ongoing state of being, the primary emphasis being on the ongoing state of being. In other words, this privilege of access is something we now possess as a result of something already completed. We no longer have to do anything to gain it or to continue to possess it. It is ours to keep!

The word “hope” is translated from elpis, which we have looked at before. It means “hope, with confident expectation of receiving that which is hoped for.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we noted that one result of our being justified by grace is that we are at peace with God. If you haven’t thought much about that since reading the previous verse, think about it now. You have a relationship of peace with the God of all creation and the Judge of the world. That is a marvelous thing! That peace is through Jesus Christ who is now our Lord, that is to say, our master, our owner. We belong to Him because He has paid for us with His blood.

Most people in the world today very much value freedom and don’t like to think about being owned by anyone or anything. We want to be our own lord and we don’t want to bow to anyone else. God’s lordship over us, however, has some wonderful benefits, one of which is identified in the current verse. Because Jesus Christ is our Lord, this verse says that we “have access by faith into this grace …”

We now have access to God’s grace bestowed upon us: this free gift of salvation. And, although we didn’t (and still don’t) deserve it, salvation is freely given to us. It is ours to keep. As a result we rejoice! That’s what Paul says. We rejoice in the hope (remember that means confident expectation) of the glory of God. We rejoice because we are confident that we will be bathed in God’s glory as a result of our being in His presence, knowing that He is our Lord, not our Judge!

Application

Let us rejoice! Not only do we no longer fear the wrath of a righteous God, we actually look forward to being in His presence as our Lord! How great is God’s grace through which righteousness is imputed to us when we believe His promise!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 4:20 – Wait Training

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Will

Romans 4:20

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,

Truth to Learn

While waiting for God to fulfill His promise, Abraham’s faith got stronger, and he gave glory to God.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “waver” is diakrinō. This word is made up of dia, meaning “through,” though it is occasionally used to indicate “separation” and krinō, meaning “to distinguish, to judge, or to decide.” So, diakrinō in the passive voice, as it is used in this verse, implies being separated from oneself or to be in strife with oneself. Hence it is often translated as “to doubt, to hesitate, or to waver.” This is the sense in which this word is used in today’s verse.

“Unbelief” is translated from apistia, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of pistis, meaning “a conviction or belief in a truth.” Hence, apistia refers to “the lack of faith or lack of belief.”

The word “strengthened” is from the Greek word endunamoō, which is made up of en, meaning “in” and dunamoō (from which we get our English word dynamite), meaning “to strengthen or to empower.” Therefore, endunamoō means “to make strong or vigorous” or “to strengthen.”

“Glory” is translated from the Greek word doxan, which primarily means “thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion,” and thus in a secondary sense it means reputation, praise, honor.

Meaning Explained

This verse simply summarizes what has been said about Abraham in the previous few verses. In spite of his having to wait 20 years, Abraham did not stagger in his faith. The Greek actually says that “he did not waver in unbelief regarding God’s promise.” His faith was so sure and so strong that his faith did not weaken over time, and he apparently never doubted God once he accepted and believed the promise God made to him regarding his descendants.

I find the next phrase quite interesting. Paul says, “but (he) was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.” If we look at Abraham’s life we see that he had many direct interactions with God. In each case he learned a little bit more about God, and each situation served to reaffirm his belief in God and in His promise to Abraham. So, instead of Abraham’s faith getting weaker over the course of time as he waited for God to fulfill His promise, his faith was unwavering and it actually was strengthened. As a result of his strengthening faith, Abraham gave glory to God. Do you see what that says? Abraham’s strong, unwavering faith actually enabled him to give glory to God while he waited. In a similar way, when we believe God’s promise and act on faith, we give honor to God. Also, as we learn to depend on God’s promises, which we must accept by faith alone, we become a testimony to his greatness.

Application

Are you going through a time of testing? Does God seem to be ignoring your prayers? If you remain firm in your faith and wait patiently for God, your faith will be strengthened and in time you will be able to praise God and give Him glory. Time won’t make your faith weaker, it will make it stronger!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:7 – The Truth Judge

Posted on October 22, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:7

For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

Truth to Learn

We are sinners and God will judge sinners.

Behind the Words

“Increased” is from the Greek word perisseuō, which is based on the preposition peri, meaning “around, through, or over.” Perisseuō, means “to be in excess,” “to be overly abundant,” or “to have more than enough.”

The word “lie” is translated from the Greek word pseusma, which is based on the verb pseudomai, meaning “to speak an untruth” or “to attempt to deceive by falsehood.” Therefore, pseusma refers to “a lie” or “a falsehood.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now states another rhetorical question that could be asked by those who argue against his line of reasoning. The argument could be stated like this: “Hey, Paul, if God is shown to be true by judging my sin and He receives glory for it, then my sin really isn’t bad, is it? If it glorifies God, it must be OK!”

The fallacy of that argument is that the act of sin does not glorify God any more than someone committing murder glorifies the court system. It is the fact that God judges the act of sin just as He said He would (God is shown to be true to His word) that glorifies Him. In the same manner, punishing a murderer glorifies the court system because the court has fulfilled its stated purpose and responsibility.

Some might claim that in the current verse Paul is confessing to be a liar, but that is not the case. You will recall back in verse five he said:

God is true but every man a liar.

That is to say, there is no one who tells the truth all the time, except God. Therefore, every man is a liar. And, if every man is a liar, then that includes Paul.

In effect, what Paul was saying back in verse 4 is, “God is true! And every man is a liar. Therefore man cannot nullify the faithfulness of God.” It is the fact that God is true, i.e. He always does just what He said He would do that brings glory to Him, not our sinfulness.

Also, God’s truth is what separates Christians from the rest of mankind. In John’s gospel he related the prayer that Jesus prayed for his disciples after the Last Supper. In that prayer Jesus said:

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
(John 17:17)

We have been set apart … from sin to God (that’s what “sanctify” means). Believing the gospel message is what sets up apart because that message is truth.

Application

Once again, we are brought face to face with how holy our God is and how sinful we are. And, it is absolutely amazing that a Holy God who judges sin manages to find a way for sinners like us to avoid His judgment. He sent His Son to sacrifice His perfect life so that my sins and yours could be forgiven. How great is His love and how marvelous is His grace!

I am as grateful as I am unworthy! And that’s the truth!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 2:10 – Peaceful Reward

Posted on September 16, 2009 by admin

Romans 2:10

but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Truth to Learn

If we are working for God now, He will reward us later.

Behind the Words

The word translated “works” is the Greek verb ergodzomai, based on the noun ergon, meaning “work.” Ergodzomai means “to work or labor at something.” It implies putting effort into doing something. It is expressed here as a participle (working) which implies ongoing action.

The word translated “good” is to agathon, which literally means, “the good.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has just declared that the unrighteous will receive tribulation and anguish at the Judgment. In contrast, like in verses 7 and 8, he now declares what the righteous will receive.

Paul says, “to every man who is working the good,” The implication is that this is someone who is continually laboring to do good. Doing what is right is not something that comes naturally to any of us because of the sin nature that we all inherited from Adam. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are even capable of doing anything truly good. And, as we all know, it takes work to continue to do good, especially when it seems that we only get taken advantage of when we do.

There is a beautiful promise to all Christians, however, in this verse. Paul tells us that those of us who continue to labor at doing good, in spite of what the world does to us, will receive glory, honor and peace from the great Judge when we stand face to face with Him.

We are not to go through this life seeking to gain glory for ourselves, and we are not to be seeking our own honor. But, if we are seeking to bring honor and glory to God through our good works, God will one day give us both honor and glory. And, on top of it all, He will give us peace. The unrighteous will not have peace. They will have tribulation and anguish, and they will be separated from the presence of God for all of eternity.

This is one of those verses that I think we all should have committed to memory for those times when we get tired of trying to do what God wants us to do; when we feel like it’s just no use; when life seems to be going downhill with no end in sight. Remember, this promise is not to just anyone! It only applies to those who have been declared righteous by God. That is, it only applies to those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And, according to Paul in the book of Ephesians, the whole reason for us being saved is so we can do good works for God:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Application

We are not saved by our good works; we are saved only by the grace of God. But we are saved and commanded to do good works while we are here on this earth. And when we continuously labor to do those good works, He will reward us for it with glory, honor, and peace!

Do you want peace? Then, get to work!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 2:7 – Continual Good Works

Posted on September 10, 2009 by admin

Romans 2:7

eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

Truth to Learn

We are to be continually doing good works for God.

Behind the Words

There are two Greek words, men and de, which are not often translated. They are used together to indicate a comparative contrast between two things. When used in this manner they can be roughly translated as men = “on the one hand” and de = “on the other hand.” The word men appears in this verse and the word de appears in the next verse. Hence, Paul is contrasting these two groups of people.

The word translated “patient continuance” is hupomonē, which is made up of hupo, meaning “under” and a form of menō, meaning “to remain.” Hence, it literally means “to remain under.” It is a picture of a beast of burden which chooses to remain under a heavy load rather than rebelling and shaking off the heavy load.

Meaning Explained

Abraham, though not righteous in himself, was declared righteous when he believed God (see Genesis 15:6). Paul will talk more about Abraham’s faith in the coming chapters of Romans. The important thing to note is that Abraham did not earn his righteousness, it was declared so by God when Abraham believed. It is the same with us. When we believed the message that we are sinners deserving of death and that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, God declared us righteous. The second chapter of Ephesians declares that as a result of this salvation by grace, through faith, we will produce good works which God before ordained for us to do.

This is all necessary background to understanding today’s verse. You see, today’s verse does not refer to the same judgment event as the previous verse (or the following verse). This verse is referring to the Bema Seat Judgment at which all believers will appear. It is a judgment where we will receive rewards for the righteous works we have done, since salvation. These works did not earn us our salvation, they are the evidence of our salvation.

In the previous verse Paul told us that the Great Judge “will render to each one according to his deeds.“ Now he tells us what will be handed out to these two contrasting groups of people. In today’s verse he talks about those who patiently continue to do good, who are seeking glory, honor and immortality. That pretty much describes a committed Christian, and today’s verse tells us what they will get – eternal life. In the next verse he will tell us what the other group of people will get.

Remember that Paul is contrasting the wicked and the righteous. He is not giving a treatise on faith verses works (he will get into that later in the letter.) The point he is making is that the saved will get eternal life, while the wicked unrighteous ones will get something entirely different.

Application

As born-again Christians, God expects us to be doing good works that will build up the body of Christ. At the end of this life He will reward us for these faithful works. Will your works for the body of Christ be worthy of reward?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 1:25 – The Truth or The Lie

Posted on August 23, 2009 by admin

Romans 1:25

who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Truth to Learn

We all choose to believe either the truth about God or the lie.

Behind the Words

“exchanged” is translated from metallassō, which is made up of meta, denoting “a change of place or condition” and allassō, meaning “to change.” The word, metallassō means “to convert from one state to another.”

The word translated “glory” in verse 23 is “doxan,” the root of which is “doxa.” According to the Complete Word Study Dictionary, “the word primarily means thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion, and thus in a secondary sense reputation, praise, honor (true and false), splendor, light, perfection, rewards (temporal and eternal).”

In today’s verse, the phrase “truth of God” is a Hebraism (an idiomatic Hebrew phrase) meaning “the true God” or “the truth that He, and He alone, is God.”

Meaning Explained

On first glance it appears that this verse is a restatement of verse 23, but there are a couple of significant differences here. In verse 23 Paul said they “changed the glory of the incorruptible God” and in this verse he says they, “exchanged the truth of God.” Thus verse 23 says that they changed the reputation or splendor of God into an image. So we see that in verse 23 those who deny God and His power use an image for worship, which is a representation of a created thing. In this verse they have progressed to the point where they deny the truth that Jehovah is the one and only God who is to be revered and worshipped. Paul says that these who deny God’s existence convert that truth into a lie (actually, the Greek text says “the lie”).

These non-believers, according to Paul, both worship and serve the created thing more than the creator of all things. Why do they do this? It’s because they don’t want to submit to Almighty God. Instead, they are willing to submit to a false god, knowing all the time that it really is no god at all. In the case of secular humanism of today, they make man the god and worship and serve self rather than the creator. Hence, the lie that is being subtly propagated today is, “since we have evolved from lower life forms and there is no proof of a creator, we are the supreme beings (i.e. we are gods).

Paul now does an interesting thing in this verse. As he finishes this comparison of false gods and the true God, he is so focused on the divinity, majesty, and holiness of God (the doxa glory of God), that he is compelled to proclaim a “doxology” ascribing praise to God. It is almost as if he is once again so struck with the very truth he is proclaiming that he is compelled to give God the glory He is due. And he follows it with a proclamation of amen, meaning “it is so!”

Application

Let me ask you, have you bought into the lie that we are the highest form of evolved creatures? Or, do you find yourself awestricken by the divinity, majesty, power, love, and holiness of God? Or do you find yourself somewhere in between, not accepting the lie but not in awe of our Creator God?

How you answer these says a lot about your relationship with the God who sent His Son to die so that we can know Him personally.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –