Romans 1:18 - 32

I was much more intrigued by the later half of Romans 1 than the first half. Although the first half presents a number of convictions that I have not yet fully explored.

I did my reading through a site called www.biblegateway.com. It allows you to read the same passage in almost every translation known to man. I find that reading the same passage in several different translations brings the meaning to life for me. The verse that really hits home for me is the last verse of the chapter.

Romans 1:32 (Amplified Bible)
Though they are fully aware of God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practice them.

The verses before this one describe how our sin starts small, we know God exists, but we do not praise him, we don't thank him. We know God is the creator but we worship the creation not the creator. The more we ignore God the worse our sin (life) becomes. We fall deeper and deeper into a routine that doesn't acknowledge God.

Romans 1:28 - 29 (Amplified Bible)
And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome, 29Until they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness..

The worst of these things is that we "know better", we are "fully aware of God." I think my challenge is more in "considering him worth the knowing" and doing something about it. Do I strive to know him more intimately, or fully?

I think this blog will be a great way to hear the struggles of others. To encourage one another in our faith. Thanks for setting it up and for inviting me to be a part of it!