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They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:25

In the great exchange which the human race has undertaken, mankind has exchanged God's glory for images and has exchanged truth for a lie.

The result of this distorted way of life is that men and women end up worshipping the wrong things. They worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator. Every human being worships something - in the sense of regarding something as of ultimate significance. In an important Supreme Court ruling during the Vietnam War, "religious belief" was defined as that which was "of ultimate importance" to an individual.

It is easy to see how regarding something as ultimately significant is closely linked with "serving" that thing, in the sense of giving devotion, energy and loyalty to it.

What are these "created things" that people worship and serve?

In pantheistic societies they are often statues or objects which symbolise deity. These idols may take the form of human beings, animals or combinations of the two. Such created things are routinely worshipped in many parts of the world.

In secular societies, the "created things" that people serve are less obviously religious, but nonetheless are genuinely objects of "ultimate significance" to the people who serve them. Socially acceptable forms of modern idolatry include worship of one's family, career or country. Such objects also include cars, holidays and jewellery. Created things which are objects of ultimate significance in western nations also include sex, self-fulfilment, individualism or "reason".

The list of such objects is enormous. Paradoxically, it is even possible for people who regard themselves as Christians to worship religious ideas, people or buildings instead of "the Creator - who is forever praised."

Notice, if you will, that there is an alternative to this object-focused devotion. True religion, at its most fundamental, involves the worship and service of the individual to the Creator God himself. This God is worthy of such praise and devotion. The whole of creation, with the exception of rebel humans, already acknowledges the glory of God and proclaims his glory.

Mankind, however, has closed its ears to this worship that emanates from the created universe and, as Paul has previously said, suppresses this truth, exchanging such a revelation of God for man-made objects of worship instead.

This is the problem that the gospel solves. It is the reason God's wrath is being revealed from heaven.

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:25

Posted in Christian gospel More Important Than Anything | | | | 201 reads