When faced with evil we need to run to the TRUTH.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
Oh dear friends, this week has been a heavy one. My soul has been wrestling with so much in the wake of the evil that we have witnessed in our world. It’s no coincidence that the Lord has brought us to a passage in Romans that talks about what happens when people suppress the TRUTH about God and exchange it for a lie.
As we dive into this week’s study, we can rest assured that in Jesus Christ we will find our hope & our truth.
A is for ask in Prayer
As our soul aches with grief, confusion, or even anger at all the sad things happening in the world, we desperately need to cry out to God in prayer!
We ask God that He would open our eyes, heart & mind to understand & desire His Word. (Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Psalm 119:18 )
“Lord Jesus, help me to abide in You as You abide in me. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can I bear fruit apart from You. And God, please comfort us in our afflictions so we can comfort others with the comfort and peace we have received from you.” A prayer from John 15:4 & 2 Corinthians 1:4
B is for Bible
Open your Bible & Read today’s passage: Roman’s 1:18-32. Select a verse that sticks out to you, & write it down. (I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalms 119:11)
This week my “B” verses are:
Romans 1:18: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools….
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy…
32b …they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans:18-22, 29-31, 32b
Investigate. What does this verse teach you about: God? The People? Yourself? Point to Jesus? Other Verses that come to mind?
We know evil is lurking, but when we see it face-to-face, it can be tremendously hard to shake off, especially when we witness it happening to people we care for and acted out by those we know.
When evil occurs, you might wonder, “HOW CAN SOMEONE DO OR SAY SUCH A THING?” I have asked this question before too, but I’m reminded to understand evil fully, we have to start from the very beginning.
Creation
The beginning of time, matter, and space has been laid out masterfully for us in God’s amazing Word, the Bible, starting in Genesis 1.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
God’s creation of His beautiful, spacious skies, water, land, animals, & man unfolds over 6 days in Genesis, as God created humankind’s first week ever and completed it with rest on the 7th day. This very real first week of creation has now been repeated thousands of times for approximately 6,000 years! Yet, even this simple Truth told in God’s Word about the creation of the world has been exchanged for a lie, & has caused many to doubt much of God’s Word.
We don’t have to look far in scripture to recognize the enemy’s tactic: Get people to DOUBT GOD’S WORD. GET PEOPLE TO DOUBT GOD’S GOODNESS.
The first people ever created by God were Adam & Eve, and they lived with God in a beautiful garden. And sadly, much like our world today, the garden was quickly filled with the enemy’s schemes & evil temptations, which led our first parents, Adam & Eve, in the sin of their own pride & reasoning to doubt God’s Word & His goodness. “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3).
This costly 1st sin brought forth a curse of death across all creation. And, this curse, unlike one played out in a fairytale, is the REALITY of how the first sin ever, which led to the first death ever, & birthed the EVIL which has infected every human heart since!
And, within just a few short chapters of the Bible, Genesis 6:5 says: The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
So this brings us all the way to the wickedness we see today.
Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools….
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy…
32b …they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
That last verse definitely gets me. “THEY NOT ONLY CONTINUE TO DO THESE VERY THINGS, BUT ALSO APPROVE OF THOSE WHO PRACTICE THEM.”
The wise become FOOLs when they ignore God. Having an ungrateful & proud heart can lead to every kind of sin: greed, hate, envy, murder, pride, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, & gossip!
The New Living Translation says that since they thought it was foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done, and they became: “backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy…. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too!” Romans 1:28-30
Oh, how sad is the EVIL & DARKNESS of this World? The lost see evil and instead of calling it out, or mourning it. They celebrate it, and encourage others to do it!
Evil name-calls, Evil tells lies, & Evil kills.
I am absolutely grieved & devastated at the evil in the world, yet I am reminded that this list of ugly sins once lived within our heart as well! And, it is only by God’s goodness, mercy & grace that He has removed the scales from our eyes & has revealed to us not only the evil in the world; but also, the evil in our own heart.
We are ALL sinners in the need of a Savior! And, the only solution to the stop the wickedness in our heart & the wickedness of the world is Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
The wage of Adam & Eve’s sin brought death to all of creation, and birthed the sin that lives within our own heart. Yet, by placing our faith in Him, we are declared righteous! And, Jesus defeated death & the enemy when he rose again after being murdered on the cross.
“but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:10
Dwell: How can I apply the Truth of God’s Word to my life?
So how can we apply this TRUTH to our lives?
PRAY TO GOD, SEEK HIS WORD, & SURROUND YOURSELVES WITH OTHERS WHO DO THE SAME.
A dear friend sent this verse out yesterday, & it encouraged me so much. I pray God’s Word will encourage you too!
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
Of course the enemy wants us to become so overwhelmed with evil that we forget about the TRANSFORMING POWER of the Gospel! We do not have to be overcome by evil, but by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can live out the Gospel with love, kindness, gentleness, and compassion!
And, we can pray for others to hear & understand the Gospel too!
Jesus Christ saved us, so He can & will certainly save others too! In fact, God’s Word tells us: “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
God wants the lost to find Him! And, He can use us to share & show His love.
Last week we learned in Acts that Paul had an amazing transformation. Paul went from persecuting Jesus and approving murder to being saved and devoting his life to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By God’s amazing grace, the evil & wickedness in Paul’s heart was transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says: “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” Matthew 5:44
So we can pray against evil, & expectantly hope for others to be saved as well!
When we see EVIL, which is the opposite of God, we have to run to God, flee from temptation, & cling to HIS Word like a hidden treasure. Instead of giving into defeat & doubt we need to lean into Christ Jesus for HIS STRENGTH, HIS GOODNESS, HIS JOY, HIS LOVE & HIS TRUTH!
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-7
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalms 34:8
So how do we find God’s truth?
God’s truth is found in His Word. So what does God’s Word say?
God’s Word says TRUTH IS:
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:1
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 1 John 2:21
God’s Word says LOVE IS:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8
This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10
God’s Word says acts of the flesh are:
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh… The acts of the flesh are obvious: .(see Bible).. immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, .(see Bible).., and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God..
God’s Word says the fruits of the spirit are:
..But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25
So we need to ask ourselves does the truth we believe about God, the world, & ourselves come from God’s Word or somewhere else? Does our ideas about love come from television, culture, or God? Which act of the flesh do we need to repent of? Which fruit of the Spirit do we need to actively seek God for?
Acts of the flesh are from our sin nature. It’s easy to fly off the handle when someone treats you with disrespect. But, fruit of the Spirit are from God. They are super-natural, and come from a heart seeking Jesus and a desire to give up our own desires to follow Him! To be kind when we are mistreated, to show self-control, & forgiveness when we are slandered. These acts are super-natural, and they are why we need to seek Jesus in everything!
God’s word is true and will always remain! So let’s be encouraged, as Jesus told us this:
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5
Engage in Prayer
In light of all that we have seen, read, & walked through this week let’s bring it all back to God in prayer with praise, thanksgiving, confession, & supplication.
Lord Jesus, thank you for Your Word, and the hope & peace that is found in You! Forgive us for any pride, unkindness, & doubt we may have. Help us be encouraged by Your Word, and help us to share Your Truth with others! Help us to provide comfort to those who need Your transforming Gospel message today. We love You Lord. Amen
Week 3 is up next! Romans chapter 2: 1-16. God’s Righteous Judgement. See you then!!
Abiding Together in Christ 