Back To Basics Week 2 Notes
January 9, 2022

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Read the passage and restate it in your own words.

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. —Romans 1:18-23


Main Points

-Remember, Paul is writing to the Romans. They were in a culture of many Gods.

-Paul is saying that those gods are created to deviate or draw people away from the true god.

-That God has made himself obvious to them. And his creation reflects the glory and splendor of God and that there is no excuse for not knowing God.

-In their foolishness, they made idols out of God’s creation instead of worshiping and acknowledging the Creator.

-There are no new lies. They use the same lie in serpent used in Genesis

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. —Genesis 3:4-6


Questions

-Why would people suppress the knowledge of God?

-What in creation testifies to you about the existence of God?

-Is there a difference between not knowing or seeing God and leading others down a path that intentionally rejects God?

-What idols have we made in our life?


Read the passage and restate it in your own words.

So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are 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. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. —Romans 1:24-32


Main Points

-Natural Law teaches us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. (You always reap what you sow)

-God never forsakes them, but allows them to follow their own evil desires
(James 1:14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.)

-The “SIN” is not IN THE ACTION: The sin is that they chose to abandon God.

-The action is the manifestation of that choice. We focus on the ACTION or the manifestation, but the SIN is in forsaking God.

-When they abandoned God, natural order is thrown into chaos.

-What should be natural and part of the living growing process is turned upside down.

-The creation is perverted.
Satan has no power to create. He can only pervert what God has already created.


Questions

-Has what is “acceptable” behavior changed in society in your lifetime?

-What are some of those things?

-What fruit have you seen in your life when you have abandoned God?


Read the passage and restate it in your own words.

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? —Romans 2:1-4


Main Points

-Paul reveals the double-standard in their life.

-We think we are OK because we “acknowledge” God but we continue with the same actions.

-We want to hold others to a different standard than we are willing to live ourselves.

-And we often see God’s kindness to us as an “allowance” instead of seeing it as his mercy wanting us to turn.


Questions

-Why is it so easy for us to move from being grateful to judgemental?

-What are some of the actions we judge others for?

-Do you find yourself wanting God to be just and judgemental when you see others doing those things, yet wanting God’s grace when you do those same things?

-How has God’s kindness brought you to repentance?


Application

-Take time this week to look around at Creation. How did you see God in what he has created?

-Make the choice to intentionally be kind to someone this week who does not deserve it. And share with us next week how your kindness effected the situation.