Part 1 of the Series: "Now That's Why You Don't Have Any Friends"
Romans 1:22 KJV
[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

"Oh boy!" This catch phrase was uttered by fictional character Sam Beckett from the TV series Quantum Leap in every episode as he would leap into a seemingly impossible situation. Romans Chapter 1 is probably one of the most controversial chapters in the Bible, especially in our age of diversity and tolerance. The reasons Romans 1 is so controversial is because most people stop reading at the end of chapter 1, ignore the context and rail against one particular type of sin. Michael the archangel did not even rail against Satan when contending with that devil over the Law. (Jude 1:9). For the record, Paul's letter to the Romans is about SALVATION.

Let me tell you right now before we go any further, that like Paul, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes." The Apostle Paul says that in Romans 1:16 this salvation is for the Jew, the Gentile, the Greek, the Barbarian, the heterosexual sinner and the homosexual sinner, anyone who chooses to believe can be saved!

Those who stop reading at the end of Chapter 1 and pronounce condemnation and teach unforgiveness for one particular sin and that one sin only are treading on dangerous ground. Those who exclude gays from being able to repent and receive the gift of God are missing the entire point Paul is making. Paul's point is that we are "all" sinners: the Jew, the Gentile, the Greek, the Barbarian. Anyone other than Jesus Christ who claims they are perfect are quite frankly delusional. All one needs to do to prove this is to keep reading the book of Romans, not just the first chapter.

In Romans 2, Paul begins to show how two faced it is to judge someone else by claiming to be righteous (perfect) by one’s own works, when you are actually guilty of sin yourself. Yet we do it all the time when we say "I'm not perfect, BUT..." then proceed to condemn another person. It is not the hearer of the law that is justified, but the doer. So, resting in our two-faced self-righteousness some of us hatefully accuse our brothers and sisters. Others of us wanting to appear compassionate make excuses for their sin, and professing our wisdom we become blind leaders of the blind headed straight for the ditch. The true Christian is neither the accuser or the excuser. The true Christian is not the one who acts based on political correctness. The true Christian is the one who acts, by what is written upon their heart, at the direction of the Holy Spirit. The true Christians are those willing to lay down their life just as Christ did and tell the whole truth, in a compassionate way, with the love demonstrated by Christ.

In Romans 3, Paul drives home the point that the only way we can be Christians is by faith alone. He confirms again that none of us should think more highly of ourselves than our brother, because we are all sinners who need a Redeemer. He shows how the law actually convicts us all of sin. I love the way he relates it in his letter to the Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

In Romans 4, Paul shows how that justification has always been via faith, even before the law was given. He demonstrates this by showing that Abraham was justified by faith in God, before the law was given.

It is high time that we Christians started fulfilling our job description and love our neighbors as ourselves. If we keep biting and devouring ourselves, how does the love of God dwell in us? (See Galatians 5 especially verses 14 & 15) It's not the hearer of the word that is justified, but the doer. We need to always remember that Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law, which is death and set us free to live in newness of life. Christians should always be mindful of what we once were.

Paul preached the love of Jesus every place he went, and he explained it to the Corinthians this way:

1 Corinthians 6:8-11 KJV
[8] Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.