What is the Romans Road? The Romans Road (sometimes referred to as the Romans Road to salvation) is a way of using only the book of Romans in the New Testament to explain 1) our need for salvation and 2) God’s answer to that problem through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Romans Road can be a great tool for evangelizing unbelieving truth seekers. Sometimes, young or immature believers can struggle with their faith, especially after succumbing to temptation. They may ask, “How do I know if I’m saved?” The Romans Road to salvation can be helpful in reassuring them of their salvation. Share the Romans Road with a loved one today!
This version of the Romans Road uses more verses than is necessary to lead someone in an understanding of salvation. For instance, you may not need to cover both Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23 when simply starting with Romans 3:23 would suffice. Romans 10:10 could also be considered to be repetitive.
In this video the Scriptures used are as follows:
None are righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10)
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:10)
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:11, 13)
Whispers of the enemy…
To our soul…
His name is PRIDE.
Sometimes Pride will say
O you are strong. DO NOT tell anyone your struggling they will think you really do not know G-d.
The WORD says
In our weakness HE is STRONG. Share your burdens one with another. Remember in my WORD what two can do together?
Sometimes Pride will say
Don’t they know who I AM.
The WORD says
We are nothing without Him.
Sometimes Pride will say
I can do this all alone.
The WORD says
We needed a helper to strengthen our inner man and we cannot live on bread alone but upon every word that proceeds out of the mouth of G-d.
Sometimes Pride says
I need to be in the front on the top.
The WORD says
The last shall be the first and the first shall be last.
Sometimes Pride says
BUT G-d, I do everything for you. Why are you letting this happen to me?
The WORD says
In this world, you will have trial and tribulations. You will not have peace unless you find it in Me.
Sometimes Pride says
I deserve better.
The WORD says
I have to allow Satan to shift you because there are things in you that only I know and it needs to be shaken loose; remember Job. OH, one more thing: I had nothing [no sin] in me–I was sinless and remember was done to me.
Sometimes Pride says
If I can have you focus on all that is wrong with others, you will never repent.
The WORD says
One good look at the man in the mirror will tell the true story;
our eyes are window to our soul.
Sometimes Pride says
Look at all I do; after all, I can do it better than them.
The WORD says
HE did it all!!!
P.S. Oh let’s not forget Pride’s twin brother, FALSE HUMILITY.
That one has a lot to say…
Deep down inside it craves the pats on the back,
the being put upfront;
it does not get its fix until it happens.
All along smirking because it is the other side of the coin called Pride.
ddr
Hello. My name is DeeDee Russel. I am a believer and love the Lord very much. Delivered from so many things and have realized He who is forgiven much loves much. I desire to help others from the pit to the palace in Jesus’ mighty love.
A critical part of spiritual maturity is developing the ability to hear the voice of God. Without it, the believer becomes part of the herd, following others who are following others. The uniqueness of each relationship with God requires the Christian to hear the gentle whisper (still small voice – 1 Kings 19:12) as He leads, directs, guides, teaches, encourages, corrects, and convicts each one who desires to know God intimately. This ability does not happen by accident, but begins with the believer recognizing that hearing the quietness of His whispers is the by-product of knowing one’s identity as a child of God. In Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
In John 6:45, “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” Jesus was teaching His disciples that to be a learner, the very meaning of being a disciple, requires the ability to hear from God, and that this is the avenue for a deeper relationship with Him. God wanted the Jews to understand that they must be taught His ways, the avenue that allows each to walk in His paths. In reference to the future kingdom age, Isaiah said, “And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). To hear the voice of God in the new covenant ages, both church age and kingdom age, the believer must listen to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In Matthew 17:5, the Father spoke to Peter, James & John on the Mount of Transfiguration, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
False Teachers
In John 10:1, Jesus speaks of a door that one must enter into the sheepfold to be considered the shepherd and not some thief or robber. The reference is to false teachers, who set themselves up to the Jewish people as rabbis and prophets, but cannot hear from God and are not the true teachers. The Lord warned about these false teachers in Jeremiah 23: 1-2, “’Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!’ declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: ‘You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,’ declares the Lord”. The greatest enemy of the believer comes from within the church and not from without. Jesus is identifying the scribes and Pharisees as false teachers, having attained their positions through means other than recognition of, faith in, and reliance upon Messiah (John 10:26). The door of the sheepfold is a door of mercy and not just the occupation of high ecclesiastical office. It is the result of a heavenly commission, like the prophet in Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” The new covenant commentary on this is found in Ephesians 4:11, where Paul identifies those that God has gifted for ministry.
Like the Pharisees within the Jewish faith, Paul identifies this same phenomenon within the church as a work of Satan to destroy its foundation through false teaching and human accomplishment as opposed to the work of God in and through the believer. They make themselves look and sound like apostles of Christ, but they are really wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). This has always been Satan’s strategy, to counterfeit the goodness of God in order to destroy the work of God from within. In John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy”. These servants of the devil disguise themselves as “servants of righteousness”, yet they rely on man’s work and will be judged by that work (Revelation 20:12). The fullness of this work of Satan is seen in the anti-Christ, the lawless one, who is prophesied to come in the near future in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians.
The Voice of the Good Shepherd
The ability of the believer to be led by God is directly related to his ability to hear and respond to the voice of God. According to John 10, the shepherd speaks and the sheep recognize the voice. It is the voice of the Good Shepherd, speaking to each believer and through the pastor with the heart of God (Jeremiah 3:15), feeding the people of God on knowledge and understanding. As Elijah arrived at Mount Horeb, the same area Moses had heard from God on Mount Sinai many years earlier, Scriptures reveal in 1 Kings 19:11-12 that God would not speak with him through wind, an earthquake, or a fire (the signs of God’s judgment), but the sound of a gentle whisper (still small voice in KJV). He was teaching the people of God that He will speak in quiet whispers and not an audible voice that all can hear. God wishes His people to develop an ability to hear His voice as He speaks in the quietness of the details of life and not by the fire and brimstone through which He had been known.
To hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, the believer must recognize His authority just as the sheep recognizes the authority of the shepherd. The shepherd has demonstrated His willingness to lay His life down for the sheep and therefore can be trusted in everything. His voice is reliable and is able to fulfill every promise He makes. In Psalm 29:4-5, “The voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.” The new covenant believer learns to trust His voice since He always speaks the truth and wishes to lead the flock in safe places.
The Shepherd and the Sheep
The 23rd Psalm may be the most recognizable passage of Scripture. It speaks of the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep (believer) and the work of the shepherd in the believer’s life. It is undeniable that Jesus had this passage in mind when he spoke of the shepherd and sheep in John 10. The Psalm gives the believer great insight into the profound relationship that exists between shepherd and believer creating the confidence of the believer that, when the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (I shall want of nothing). It speaks of the commitment that the Lord has to the believer in all points of life, including the very face of death. Recognizing the full commitment that the Lord has in the believer’s life is foundational to listening and hearing the Lord as He leads the believer through the details and challenges of life. When the Lord speaks, He speaks with full authority and the believer can expect that what He promises, He is also able to do and will do (Ephesians 3:20).
Believers are Doers
46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49)
Once the voice of God is heard, it becomes necessary for the believer to act on that voice. Jesus’s brother, James warns us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). The very foundation of faith is a willingness to act, to do what God has commanded. In James 1:22-24, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” The confidence the believer has in his own faith in who Jesus is and what He accomplished is directly related to his conviction to act on what he has heard.
The Bible Still Speaks
Thirty-six years ago, I was invited to a Bible study at an elementary school in Framingham, MA by a business friend. That night was the beginning of a long relationship I’ve had with the ministry now known as Greater Grace World Outreach. The name of the ministry at the time was “The Bible Speaks”. That’s kind of a strange name; ministries do not usually have a verb in their name! But as I listened more and more to Pastor Carl Stevens teach, his ability to quote Scripture, and speak truth to my heart, the name made a lot of sense. The Bible does speak and I was hearing that certain sound.
Since that initial experience, I have recognized God’s call on my life to go to Bible college and become ordained as a pastor in this ministry. This journey has included a series of major challenges of life that seemed to accompany the things I was being taught in the classroom. God was bringing to life the Biblical truths I was now learning and to accept them as true, not just theologically, but personally. It has taken the extended classroom of the details of my life to make them real in a personal sense. Through this process, the Word of God comes alive and I am now able to hear Him personally speak to me through the thoughts that he whispers to my spirit. No longer are they idle thoughts, but his voice is directing me in the details of life by the Holy Spirit. In Romans 10:17, the Bible says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of Christ”.
The public ministry of Jesus centered on His teaching the masses and the twelve. As the mediator of a new covenant, He was bringing new understanding to the Scriptures as He revealed Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God. The Jewish leadership of His day completely rejected His claim to deity and therefore all of His words. There is a great picture of this process in Mark 2:1-12. A paralytic is lowered into a crowded room where Jesus was teaching, looking for a healing. Jesus observed the effort of the four men to get that paralytic before Jesus and told the man his sins were forgiven. The reaction of the scribes in the room was predictable, accusing Jesus of blasphemy. To confirm the authority of His words, Jesus said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home” after healing him. When the hearer recognizes the authority of the word written or spoken, it has supernatural power. Paul observed this attitude with believers in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, that they received the word spoken from the pulpit as if God spoke it directly.
God promised the Jews that they would walk in His ways and it would be well with them if they would, “obey My voice, and I will be your God and you will be My people”. Both the Hebrew and Greek words translated obey have the basic meaning of ‘listening closely with the intention to obey”. When the Jews did not incline their ear to God’s words, they went backwards (Jeremiah 7:23-24). This principle holds just as true for the New Testament believer as well.
In the church age, believers have the distinct advantage of living in a new covenant, secured by the completed work of Christ on Calvary’s cross. We also enjoy access to the full canon of Scripture which affords us a deeper understanding of the character and nature of God through the doctrines addressed and further defined in both the Old and New Testament. In 2Timothy 3:16, Paul addresses all Scripture as “inspired by God and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”. The study of Scripture doctrinally (teaching by category) brings the believer into a more in-depth comprehension of His thoughts on a particular subject. This approach to the Word of God has always been a framework of our ministry in bringing believers to hear His voice.
One of the verses regularly emphasized by our founding pastor is 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent [spoudazo – to make every effort to do one’s best] to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately [correctly] handling the word of truth”. The fulfillment of God’s life in each believer is related to diligence and a willingness to pursue, to seek after truth and attention to accuracy is a critical part of the process.
In Deuteronomy 5:24, Moses says, “Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives”. The reference is to Moses hearing the voice of God from Mount Sinai and receiving the Law in Exodus 20, but it also speaks to His voice in the midst of the fires of man’s living experiences – and he still lives. To hear the voice of God is to recognize His greatness and glory.
With the unrest our country is facing as it relates to government elections and law enforcement, it is important that Christians understand citizenship. As one born and raised in America, I was taught that we had a civic responsibility to our various government agencies, including voting in elections, serving on jury duty, and behaving as a good neighbor to my fellow citizens. Thomas Jefferson said, “God… has formed us moral agents… that we may promote the happiness of those with whom He has placed us in society, by acting honestly towards all, benevolently to those who fall within our way, respecting sacredly their rights, bodily and mental, and cherishing especially their freedom of conscience, as we value our own.” The degree that one exercises good citizenship is directly related to his perception of the value he places on that entity. Government works well when the people believe it operates justly and with a sense of the common good.
For the Christian, this principle occupies an important place in his relationship with God. Philippians 3:20 tells us that, “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”. In recognizing heaven as our true home, we consciously admit that our connection to this world is temporary and our hope in His second coming is paramount in our lives. Paul teaches that the enemies of the cross have “set their minds on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). Heavenly citizenship frees us from the bondages of this world system by learning how to set our minds on God’s interests through a faith economy. Peter was challenged by Jesus in Matthew 16:23 to “get behind me, Satan” when Peter rebuked God’s plan that His Beloved Son would suffer and die. Jesus told him, “you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s”; he had not yet recognized his citizenship.
Kingdom Allegiance
When a person becomes a Christian, he is spiritually transferred, translated from this world kingdom to God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13). He is then challenged into making decisions about his allegiance to God while the world seeks his full devotion. It is a question of citizenship. Spiritual warfare governs this process as the god of this world entices the believer to surrender to his resident desires. All the while, God encourages him to “lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:22-24). The new self is his recognition of his new citizenship.
King David understood his citizenship when he wrote Psalm 15. Scholars don’t know the occasion that caused him to write it, but we know that he contemplates what it looks like to “dwell on Your holy hill“:
1 O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
Walking with Integrity
David defines by inspiration what true citizenship in Zion (heaven) looks like. This person walks with integrity, works righteousness, speaks truth, treats his neighbors with respect, and honors those who fear (reverence) the Lord. The mindset of a citizen unleashes a deep work of the Spirit within the believer to transform his walk to align itself with the will and purposes of God. As a result, the heavenly citizen “will never be shaken”. Not only will he enjoy fellowship in the Lord’s presence, but he will also experience divine blessing and security.
David’s prayer in Psalm 17:15, “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.” This was in direct contrast to the wicked, “whose portion is in this life”, who cannot recognize the value of a heavenly citizenship. God promises a satisfied, unshaken mind with His presence.
Ambassadors of Heaven
The Apostle Paul testifies that our heavenly citizenship makes us ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). This Greek word, presbeuo speaks of a mature person or delegation commissioned to deliver a certain message. That message is “the word of reconciliation” and it is ambassadors of Christ whom the Father use to reconcile the world to Himself, “not counting their trespasses against them” (verse 19).
Many of America’s founding fathers recognized the importance of a moral and religious people as necessary to the ultimate success of our nation. John Adams said it this way, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” As citizens of heaven, the devout believer represents the perfect fabric of a society founded on the principles of individual rights that come from God and must be upheld by the government they acknowledge.
It is our responsibility not to allow sin to have control over our bodies. Romans 6:12-13 tells us we must not use our bodies or another person’s body as an instrument of unrighteousness. Sexual immorality is not only a sin against God but is sin against your body, and you are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:18-19).
In this talk, we’ll look at the consequences of sexual sin.
Consequences of Sexual Sin
Proverbs 5:15-23—among other Scriptures—establishes all sexual needs are to be met only within the covenant of marriage, so we’re starting from a marital presupposition as we continue into this lesson.
Never underestimate the power of sexual sin. Sexual sin gives the illusion of pleasure, but any pleasure it gives is always short-lived. Sexual immorality degrades the participants and leads them into shameful behavior. It has terrible consequences, such as:
1. Partners lose the ability to be open with each other
Sexual sin that reaches outside the borders of a marriage leads to isolation within the marriage. The partner engaging in the illicit behavior has to build a wall around himself to keep his partner from finding out what is going on. Sexual sin leads to a double life. Lies—whether blatant lies or by omission—are born to cover. The distance between the two grows, and intimacy erodes.
2. It destroys respect and trust
Those who engage in sexual sin often live in shame and fear that others will find out what they have done. If they are married and violate their vows, the shattered trust can be extremely difficult to rebuild. The effects of the sin reach to husband, wife, children, and even extended family members.
3. The ripened fruit of sexual sin is death of the relationship
When Israel turned away from God, they were referred to as a harlot and a cheating wife. God considers divorce to be violence, as should we! It is the tearing apart of two who have become one (Malachi 2:14-16). Families and friendships are lost as a result of divorce. Spiritual covering is shredded and all sorts of calamities can befall a broken family. I’ve seen physical ailments pop up. I’ve seen children exposed to criminal activity. Financial health usually declines as one household becomes two. I’ve seen addictions rev up. Divorce often makes both children and spouses easier targets for the enemy.
4. Removal from the land
Leviticus 18:1-25 God addresses Israel and gives a long list of unlawful sexual activities—including adultery, incest, homosexuality and bestiality—and ends with “Defile not yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I will visit the its iniquity upon it, and the land itself vomits out her inhabitants.” When a population becomes too immoral, that population falls under judgment and we see this happen again and again in the Word. These days, in the case of adultery, the offending spouse is usually sent packing; this would be a local, modern-day example of losing your place in the land.
5. Physical disease can result
Romans 1:24-32 says that God will allow men to reap within their physical bodies the results of sexual sin. There is a vast array of sexually-transmitted diseases. Sexual sin comes with a high price attached to it.
6. Soul ties are formed
1 Corinthians 6:16 says, “Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’” When you join yourself sexually to another person, you become one with them. More than physical union results; emotional union occurs, too. Even though you may think that sex is no more than a physical act, ties are formed with whomever you have sex. In addition, sexual sin is a sin against your own body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit. To sin against your body is to degrade the presence of the Holy Spirit. (VIDEO: What are Soul Ties?)
Note: No condemnation for the 1 Corinthians 7-believing spouse. If you divorced during a BC time in your life, maybe you were in ignorance. Simply lay that part of your past down at the foot of the cross in heart-felt prayer.
The Call to Holiness and Right Identity
You are a king and priest reigning in life, seated with Christ in heavenly places. You have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and have been born again into the kingdom of God. You are a new creation, dead to sin, and are now a slave to righteousness, walking by the Spirit, not according to flesh. Your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and you are now a partaker of God’s divine nature. You are an alien to this world, in it and not of it.
Tips for Turning Away From Sexual Sin
Remember Jesus is Lord over all creation. You were created through Him and for Him; He is before all things and in Him all things hold together, including your physical body (Colossians 1:16–17). He is Lord of the universe. He gives you the grace if you turn to Him in your weakness (Heb. 4:16).
Take captive every thought. Our thought life is important! A single random thought does not make sin, but dwelling on it, expanding upon it, pitching camp there—that’s where sin begins to germinate.
Counseling, community and accountability.
Identifying triggers (e.g. boredom (Ephesians 5:14–17), stress (Ephesians 4:22–24), etc.) and intentionally avoiding situations that position you for weakness.
Growing awareness of the call of the flesh; become aware of temptation as it approaches and prayerfully turn away.
Arm yourself with Word-centered prayer, worship and fasting (Philippians 4:5–7).
In the Bible, sexual immorality is one of the most prominently mentioned sins anytime a list of sins comes up. If it were simply a minor occurrence, affecting only a small percentage of the population, it probably wouldn’t hold this position. What are the top excuses we use to allow us to continue in sexual sin?
Excuses for Sexual Sin
Everybody is doing it
The standard of right and wrong is not found in a majority decision. Because an overwhelming majority of Germans hated Jews was it right for Hitler to murder six million of them? Though “everybody” was not personally involved in the crime, practically “everybody” thought nothing of being anti-Semitic. The Bible expressly warns us against justifying our conduct by a corrupt majority. “You shall not follow a multitude to do evil…” (Exodus 23:2).
You only live once (a.k.a. If you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it)
Life is far too short to do everything. We learn (if we are half as smart as we think we are) from the experiences of others! The person who presents this kind of argument to us will seldom want to go out and see what it’s like to kill someone in the heat of war. Nor is he likely to want to go out and let someone shoot at him for the pleasure of seeing what it’s like. If this kind of reasoning were true a man being tried for murder could say: “You have no business being on my jury because you’ve never killed a person.” Would his objection be valid? Why then should a person be considered right when he makes the same argument concerning morals? In one case a person has violated human law and in the other divine law. If we would not tolerate such reasoning in regard to human offenses how much less we should tolerate it as an excuse for violating the law of God!
It’s none of your business
First, you are part of God’s creation, so it’s absolutely His business. Second, your parents gave birth to you, so it is absolutely their business. Third, if you’re married, you’re one flesh with your spouse, so it’s their business. Fourth, if you’re churched, you’re part of a flock, so it’s your pastor’s business and it’s the flock’s business. It’s safe to say we can dispense with the “not your business” talk. Instead, let’s address the real issue: Whether you are doing the right thing in God’s sight.
I’m not hurting anyone
Adam could have said the same thing in the Garden. Yet because of his sin, death entered the world and plagues us to this very day. Like our prayers, our actions—good or bad—have the potential to set in motion a chain of circumstances far beyond your ability to imagine. (“The sins of the father are visited unto the third and fourth generations.” (Exodus 20:5, Numbers 14:18, Deuteronomy 5:9-10, Jeremiah 32:17-18))
Furthermore, someone is hurt: You! Sin separates us from God and any immorality you commit places that much more distance between you and Him. (“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2))
I love them
But do you love Christ more? “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) and among the commandments He taught was abstention from sexual immorality (Matthew 15:15-20). There’s no such thing as love at first sight; that’s called lust.
I’ve just gotta be a man
This excuse comes from a distorted, predatorial definition of manhood. It is not Godly, righteous, holy nor kingly and yet those are the traits God calls us into. “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;” (1 Peter 1:15 NIV) Little boys do what feels good; men do what’s right.
God made me this way
“Behold, I was shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5) “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13 NIV) Yes, we were all born under Adam; none are righteous, not one. Jesus says apart from Him we are withered branches ready for the fire. (John 15) Our best deeds are as filthy rags before God’s holiness. And yet we’re all called to be born again. (John 3:3) Jesus also says, “Deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Me.”
(Hint: Your carnal urges didn’t come from God. Self-gratifying, self-serving, self-driven, self-motivated came through the Fall. Furthermore, you can’t be lonely when your Source is with you; when you’re walking in God-reality.)
What I’m doing is not that bad. It’s not as bad as _________.
“Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17) “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Do you allow for loopholes (that don’t actually exist) in God’s call on your life? You are His. You are not your own. You’ve been bought for a very high price: the blood of Jesus Christ. Per our Lord, “But I say unto you that whosoever looks upon a woman with lust has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28) We are to take captive every thought bringing even our minds under the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
[No excuse is verbalized, but God-awareness is deliberately set aside to allow for sin]
We can actually race ahead of a convicted conscience into sin, knowing that turning our thoughts to God will bring us near enough to Him to cancel our urge to sin.
The Moral of this Story
You can put a beautiful label on a bottle of cyanide but if you drink it, it will kill you just the same. The same is true of all sin, which drives a wedge between God—the source of our lives—and ourselves.
References
Adapted from Roland Worth, Jr.’s article “Excuses for Sexual Immorality”, published by Truth Magazine on April 15, 1976.
