The Results Of Denying God

So what are the eternal results of this denying of God? The apostle Paul lays out for us the consequences of our suppression of God’s truth by denying his very existence when he explains in the remaining verses of this chapter what God did to us as because of these things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. 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 practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Romans 1:24-32

Verse 24 starts off with the word therefore, which clearly indicates a consequence of our behavior and denial of God. The results of denying God is him giving us over to a lifestyle of sin that we so desire. God could strike us down for denying him, but rather he leaves us to sin, in hopes that as he beckons us to repentance that we will one day confess and forsake our sin and return to our Creator. Paul then goes into great detail about what this sin life looks like. Because we denied him he gave us over to our sinful lusts which include, but are not limited to:

1. Sexual impurity and immorality

2. Homosexuality

3. Covetousness (jealousy)

4. Malice

5. Envy

6. Murder

7. Strife

8. Deceit

9. Maliciousness

10. Gossip

11. Slander

12. God hating

13. Insolence

14. Haughtiness

15. Boastfulness

16. Inventors of evil (schemers)

17. Disobedient to our parents

18. Acting foolish

19. Living faithless

20. Being heartless and cold

21. Being ruthless

Not only do we do such things, even though we know they are wrong and that we deserve death because of them. But we even give our approval to others who practice such evil things. I will go so far as to say that even if we do not do these things ourselves we are guilty of giving our approval to those who do. Take Albert Haynesworth for example. Mr. Haynesworth is a professional football player for the Tennessee Titans, who made big headlines recently for stomping on the head of another player on an opposing team with his cleats during a game. The other player had to have 30 stitches as a result.

Now the NFL took immediate action suspending him for five games, yet we still immortalize this man as a hero who just slipped up. I do not pretend to know if Albert is a Christian or not, but his actions were deplorable to say the least, yet we still support his playing of the game, and long for the day he comes back to the team.

One more example that we can make about this! Take a recent block buster movie. The movie title is the dirty word for donkey. Please do not use the title of this movie on a comment that you post. This is a no cussing blog. If you use the word I will delete your comment and ban you from the site. The movie is about nothing but filth, and is part 2 in a two part series. Just a few weeks back it was number one at the box office. We should be taken aback by this movie as Christians, and moral beings, yet we approve of those men who made it because we think it is funny. We may not practice the things they practice, but we surely approve when we give them our money for making it. It should not be so, and just because everyone else is watching it doesn’t make it ok for us to watch it. This is all because we have denied the very one who created us.

Lord,
Help me to break the cycle of sin where I approve of and support those whose life is a living testimony to sin. Father help me break also the cycle where I commit those sins as well. Help me to see that when I do I am totally denying you, and that I am proving that I do not love you. For Jesus said that if I loved him I would keep his commandments, and that those who do not love him do not keep his words and deny not only Him but you as well Holy Father. I ask that you would sanctify me, and bring me into a deeper life of holiness with you. That I may trust in you and walk by the Spirit for all of my days. In Jesus name, Amen!