Ungodly Behavior is a Choice
Excuses like ‘the devil made me do it’ and ‘I’m not a saint’ just won’t cut it when we stand in front of the Judgement Seat of Christ. Every time we ignore the joy, mercy and grace of God we ignore the possibility of heaven.
Brethren, since the ungodly did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them. Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who do such things. Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will render to every man according to his works; to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek.
Romans 1.28-2.9
When we choose to ignore God, He loves us so much that He allows us to fill our lives with all sorts of sin and evil. It isn’t that God wants that life for us. He wants something much better, but He gives us free will. We are the ones who choose to ignore Him in our lives.
In Saint Paul’s lesson for us today we understand the judgement of God. He waits ready to forgive us. He waits willing to embrace us. WE are the ones who ignore Him. This is what Saint Paul means when he says, “God gave them up to a base mind and improper conduct.”
Free will is a gift from God that weighs heavily on our judgement. Beginning with our ancestors in the Garden, every single time we ignore God, we fall to sin. Every time we forget that God loves us and wants better for us, we wallow in the mud of evil.
Choosing God is choosing a life not bound by darkness and evil. Choosing God is choosing life with Him in heaven. Now let’s look at the other warning from Saint Paul today. Let’s look at what happens when we ‘approve’ of the sin of others and judge others.
Saint Paul also has a warning for us. Do we judge the sins of others? Do we approve of their life choices? We will be judged with equal danger. The only path to avoid judgment is for us to choose God, and to choose a lifelong journey of ‘seeking for God’s glory’ and His love.
Here’s the deal. We will never seek God so long as we ignore Him. We will never stop sin so long as we ignore that our behavior isn’t what God wants for us. Does that mean we will also be perfect? No! Only God is perfect.
It means that God always knows our intention. He knows where we place our attention. He knows our hearts better than we know our hearts. So, stop ignoring Him and start following Him. Begin today on a journey seeking His glory and leaving sin behind.
And when you do sin, rather than giving up, get up and start over. As many times as you fall, you must get back up again. Choosing God won’t mean no longer making mistakes. Choosing God will mean acknowledging your mistakes and working to correct them. It is a choice.
