throughout the next couple days in my series. And while we're turning to Romans 1, I do want to say once, some years ago, someone introduced me on campus as the resident genius. And I said, in all seriousness, there is only one resident genius on campus, and that is the Holy Spirit. We are students taught the word of God by the Holy Spirit. And so we don't want to deprive God of his rightful place. I appreciate, I have no idea who those students were, and I have come across that website. But most of those were written some years ago. So if there's one there that says within the last 20 years, I've been there since 83. and then was in Denver for 12 years before that. At any rate, here in Romans, today we're talking, at least in this hour, Sin and the unbeliever. We're focusing our attention on the topic of sin. Just what is sin? What should our attitude towards sin be? Now, we know in a very elementary way the answers to that question. The fellow came home from church and his wife said, what did the preacher say? He answered, he spoke on sin. Well, what did he say about it? He was against it. You know, I mean, we all know that, but why? And what is sin? And I had lunch with David Lloyd yesterday, and he is a great musician, and we were talking about some theoretical matters about hymns or gospel songs that have in them minor keys as well as major keys and he was saying it's not wrong to have minor keys but make sure that you're dealing with problems when you're in the minor keys and the solutions in the major keys, and here in even chapter 1. Now I'm hoping to get from chapter 1.1 through 3.20 this morning. So fasten your safety belts, and we're not going to look at every single verse, but we do want to talk about sin, in particular the relationship of sin to an unbeliever. And I want, really, I want to take only about half the time with that minor, although that is the basic idea in here. We can also see, if we were to look at the first 17 verses of chapter 1, which I hope to do at least in the last closing 5, 10, 15 minutes that we'll have left. of this morning because that's the major that's the good news but before you can be given the good news you have to be given the bad news and so you'll see the bad news begins chapter 1 verse 18 the wrath of God revealed. The wrath of God is revealed tells us something about sin. God doesn't like it. It is opposed to God. It is blasphemy against God. It is rebellion against God. God doesn't simply sit by passively wringing his hands. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness There's one word for sin, ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men. Now, we understand that the Bible, right from Genesis 1, when it uses the term man, often includes male and female. Let us create man in our own image, after our likeness. Male and female, created he them. And so it says here, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, amen. Mankind, human beings, God's wrath is revealed. It has been revealed. It is in the process of being revealed and someday will fully be revealed in Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 through 15 at the great white throne judgment. where not just sin is cast into the lake of fire, but people who are in rebellion against God are also cast into the lake of fire. These are ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold, and this word hold is literally to hold it down, to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. They don't want it for themselves, and they don't want others to have it either. So now he's going to develop this thought. Who are these people with whom God is terribly angry? And in these chapters, we're going to see that there are at least three different kinds of people. I call the first group of people, from verses 19 through the end of the chapter, 32, I call them uncivilized pagans. Their philosophy is, if it feels good, do it. And so you'll notice, along with God's sovereign right to bring judgment on these people, comes an explanation. He didn't need to give an explanation. He has the sovereign right to bring a judgment against ungodly people, but he justifies that wrath because he says, there was a certain amount of light. Some light is given to everybody, verses 19 and 20, because that which may be known of God, there's lots of things that can't be known of God, simply through nature. And I believe it was Martin Luther who said, and I'm roughly paraphrasing here, if you want to know what God is like, don't look at nature. Because nature is under the curse, and it doesn't fully express what God is like. If you want to know what God is really like, look at the cross of Calvary, because there you will see the wrath of God poured out. But you will also see the love of God demonstrated. And I think that's true. But he says, because, verse 19, that which may be known of God, certain things can be known of God, and those things that is manifest, they are manifest, they are manifest either in them, which would be internal, the way we are constituted, even with our intuition, that we know somehow intuitively that there is a God, or you could translate the in them among them, but I think in them is good for our purposes, for God has showed it unto them also includes then the world around us, the external things as well as the internal things. What are we talking about? Well, there are things about God that are invisible. And yet they tell us something about God. The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. You could go to Psalm 19 in the first six verses and you could see that the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows forth his handiwork. And there's no limitation, none by time, day unto day, night unto night. It's not limited geographically, there's no place where it's not understood, and this becomes a basis not for salvation. The fact that God gives everyone a certain amount of light, while it may sound like good news, is actually bad news. And it's bad news because how do people respond to it? Do they say, oh, I want to know this true and living God? No, it's just the opposite. Verse 20 says, the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, namely, His eternal power and Godhead, that there is a true and living God who is eternal and powerful. That much can be known just by natural reason and by observation. But you notice verse 20 says, so that they are without excuse. Sometimes you'll hear people ask the question, what about people who have never heard the gospel? Is God right in judging them? And the answer from this passage is yes, because God has given them, maybe it's not as much light as we would wish that they had, but it is a certain amount of light. How do they respond to that light? Well, we're told, verse 21, because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain or empty in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. They changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. You don't hear his name mentioned very much anymore, but in the 60s there was an American theologian, certainly non-conservative, whether to call him liberal in the classical sense, because there were elements of that, or neo-orthodox, and there were elements of that, but Paul Tillich. And he said, theology is apologetics. Human beings are asking serious, essential questions, and theology ought to be giving the answers. And so all of theology is an answer to those questions. And so God is not a being, a person. God is the ground of all being or existence. And you're saying, huh? And he says, if you believe that life is worthwhile, if you believe that life is worth living, then you believe in God. the beauty of the earth and so on. And Paul says, look, the beauty of the earth and of the creation of the animals and everything around us do point us to the fact that there is a God. But don't mistake those things that are created by God as God. And yet that's exactly what they did. They changed, verse 23, the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, to birds, forfeited beasts, and creeping things. So, then you've got three times, verses 24, 26, and 28, God gives them up, or God gives them over. And it's a descending If you think the people in category number ones who have stepped down one step, if they're bad off, wait till you see about the people who have stepped down twice, that is two steps, or three steps. They're at the bottom. So the first stage, verse 24, wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts. I've got a note in my margin that says this describes wicked wills. It begins, sin begins with the will. Uncleanness, verse 24, through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between them, who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature, what is created, more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Second step down, verse 26, for this cause God gave them up to vile affections. This is the emotions, evil emotions, not only wicked wills, but now evil emotions. For even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature, and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men, working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet or appropriate, or their getting what they deserved. Now, Paul and their inspiration isn't merely singling out homosexuality and saying, this is sin. Certainly, that's true. But it's only one evidence that not only have people's wills been affected, but their emotions as well. And then finally, the third step, Verse 28, even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up or over to a reprobate mind, impaired intellects. They've not only by an act of the will decided to choose sin, And they've not only attached their emotions to their sin, but now they are intellectually trying to justify those sins. God gave them over to a reprobate mind, impaired intellects, to do those things which are not convenient or appropriate. What kind of people are we talking about? They're characterized by all unrighteousness, verse 29, fornication, the general word for immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, You can't believe the promises they make without natural affection, implacable, it's impossible to please them, unmerciful. Have you ever heard someone say, well, I may go to hell, but I'll have plenty of company? Yes, and here's how they're described. Who knowing, verse 32, the judgment of God, you see they've received a certain amount of light, and how have they responded? In rebellion, in rejection. Knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. And you can see publicly in the newspapers, on television, people commenting on certain things that we believe are sinful, and they may say, well, I may not do those things myself, but it's certainly all right for anyone to do them who wants to. They're putting their seal of approval upon it. These people are under the wrath of God. That's the first group of people with whom God is angry. The second group I call the civilized pagan. He's not religious, but he does have moral standards. And he's standing next to Paul and saying, Paul, you are so right to condemn these people. And Paul turns to him, verse 1 of chapter 2, Therefore you are without excuse. You are inexcusable, O man. Whosoever thou art that judgest, for wherein you judge another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou that judgest, doest the same things. Oh, they do it privately rather than publicly. but they still do it. Is God going to judge those kind of people too? He begins a discussion of how God's judgment is described. Verse 2, we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth. Any of you ever been audited by the IRS? I was audited once, they wound up owing me a little money and I've never been audited since. They say, bring all of the documentation. Listen, if I were trying to cheat the government, I wouldn't bring all of the documentation. I'd only bring the documentation that supported my point of view. I was, when I taught in Denver for 12 years, I was on what we would call the Student Discipline Committee. And before a student was brought to us, the chairman would do as thorough an investigation as possible, and we knew pretty much what the situation was. People weren't brought to the discipline committee for some simple infraction. The deans handled those type of things themselves. If they came before the discipline committee, they should have their bags packed. And there were some people who were perfectly willing to confess to whatever they thought you knew. But no more than that. God's judgment is according to truth, verse 2 tells us. Also, it is not only true, it is inescapable. Verse 3 says, Thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering? Hey, I didn't get zapped. Lightning didn't hit me when I did this. Maybe God was too busy with somebody else. I got away with it." So they do it a second time and again they get away with it. So they think. And Paul under inspiration says, that is the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering. And why does God have goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering? Knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. He is giving you time to change, to repent. But instead, the person takes it that they've gotten away with it. And verse 5 says, not only is it inescapable, but it is compounding. It is building up. Verse five, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up, you store up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The unsaved person who isn't immediately judged by God may think that they've gotten away with it. All they're doing is postponing a judgment and the wrath of God, which will be far more severe than if they had dealt with it at the time they had committed the sin. Furthermore, verse 6 says, verses 6 and following, maybe 11 through 11, the judgment of God is impartial. He will render to every man according to his deeds. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing, if you underline in your Bible, underline those words, patient continuance in well-doing. What will He give them? He'll give them, they seek for glory, honor, and immortality, He'll give them eternal life. That sounds like good news. It is not good news. It is bad news. First of all, it's in a section of the Bible in which God is explaining who he's angry with. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold or hold down the truth in unrighteousness. It's bad news and for example Galatians 3 verse 11 says the same thing. Actually verse 10 says the same thing. As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. Now here it's clearly identified as bad news. As many as want to earn salvation by the works of the law, they place themselves under a curse. Why? Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. If you want to be saved, if you want to be given eternal life based upon Patient continuance in doing good you place yourself under a curse because none of us qualify for that You remember there was a point in time not too many years ago when Michael Jackson was alive and was brought to trial and he was accused of molesting a young boy Supposing his lawyer said, well now it is true in this one particular case that he did this, but look at all the other good things that he's done. Don't his good works count for anything? The judge would say no. That isn't why he's here. And yet that's how people talk today. Well, I'm going to take my chances. I think my good works will outweigh my bad works. The judge might have even said, now, of course, Michael Jackson was acquitted, so I'm not accusing him. I'm merely using this to illustrate a point. The judge might say, all of your good works actually become evil works because it caused the parents of that boy to trust you. And yet, we think that. the law by patient continuance in doing good will give us eternal life. In theory, if you've never sinned, theoretically it's possible. But once you've sinned, you've violated the law, you are condemned. And so back in Romans chapter 2, verses 8 and following, to them that are contentious, that is, who do not meet the requirements, who do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, what can they expect? Indignation, wrath, tribulation, anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first and also of the Gentile. We understand the seriousness of sin when we see that God hates it and God is angry with people who sin. Not only the uncivilized pagan, but the person who says, I may not be religious, but I have moral standards. And under inspiration, Paul says, no, you don't. You, too, are without excuse. It's not only the judgment of God is not only true, verse 2, and inescapable, verses 3, 4, and 5, and not only impartial, verses 6 to 11, but it's inclusive. It includes everybody, verses 12 and following. As many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without the law. As many as have sinned in the law, this would be the Jewish person, shall be judged by the law, for not the hearers of the law are just before God. But the doers of the law shall be justified. And again, that is not good news. That is bad news. When we get to chapter 3 verse 20, we're going to realize that by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. Why? For by the law is the knowledge of sin. By the law. is the Knowledgeous Inn. I tried to look my very best when I got ready this morning. Short of plastic surgery, you understand. And you're smiling. And I'm coming away saying, wow, I think I made a really good impression on them. And then I go to the men's room after the meeting and I glance in the mirror and see this horrible smudge on my face. Now I'm depressed because I know that smudge was there when I was speaking. That's why they were smiling. Maybe it was here and every time I spoke it went up and down, up and down. The power of a mirror. The mirror didn't put the smudge on my face. The mirror cannot remove the smudge from my face. It can only tell me that the smudge is there, but that is very powerful. That is how God's law functions. We are sinners even without the law, but the law makes it clear. By the law, Romans 3.20, the end of the verse, by the law is the knowledge of sin. So, verse 14 says, when the Gentiles who do not have the law, did you notice that? Gentiles do not have the law, they do have something. but they don't have the law, particularly the written law. When they do by nature the things contained in the law, these not having the law are a law to themselves which show the work of the law, the standard of the law written in their hearts. Everyone has the standard of the law written in our hearts. Their conscience also bearing witness. The conscience is not the standard. The conscience is the alarm system attached to the standard. It bears witness. And, their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men This shows the judgment of God is intensive as well as true, inescapable, impartial, inclusive, and extensive. It is intensive as well. even the secrets. That may mean things that we do in secret, or it may mean the things that we fantasize about but never actually do. It doesn't make any difference. God knows, and God condemns. With whom is God angry? Not only the uncivilized pagan, but the civilized pagan, who has a standard of right and wrong the work of the law written in their hearts. And so this is a little more light than what the people in Chapter 1 had. But that more light of right and wrong, it's not that the uncivilized pagan doesn't have a conscience, it's that they're no longer listening to their conscience. The people in chapter 2, verses 1 through 16, have more light because they are listening to, at least, the work of the law, the standard of the law written in their hearts. However, they are not responding positively. And so in chapter 2, verse 17, and spilling over into chapter 3, verse 8, the third kind of person with whom God is angry, the religious person, and in this case, the Jew, Verse 17 of chapter 2, Behold thou art called a Jew, and you rest in the law, you make your boast of God that you know his will, approve those things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident, verse 19, that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which has the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Don't you practice what you preach?" These people have more like, they have the written word of God. Do they live up to it? No. Verse 21, thou that preachest to man should not steal. Now this gives us a clue as to what kind of law he's talking about. Where in the law does it say thou shalt not steal? See, because there are people who say, We're not under the ceremonial or civil law today of the Old Testament, but the moral law of the Ten Commandments continues on. And he is talking here, when he uses the word law, and singles out the Ten Commandments. Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, again, one of the Ten Commandments. Dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, you should love the Lord your God with all your heart and your soul. your strength, your mind. Dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou, verse 23, that makest thy boast of the law through breaking the law, don't you dishonor God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles. This is not theoretical. This is true. They have the greatest amount of light possible, the written Word of God, and yet they fail to live up to it. In chapter 3, verse 1, he says, what advantage does the Jew have? And he said, much in every way. Verse 2, chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. They have the greatest amount of light. What if some did not believe? Doesn't make a bit of difference. God's word is true, whether people respond positively to it or not. And so in verses 9 through 20, you have a summary and a conclusion. What then? Are we better than they? Are we, the Jews, better than they who are not Jews? And he says, no. He says, we have before proved, namely chapter 1 verses 19 up through where he is now here in verse 9. We before proved, Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. So now he's going to describe this. There is none righteous. No, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. Notice, they are all gone out of the way means that sin cannot be defined in terms of our intention. I didn't know it was wrong, so it's okay, that's not really sin, that's just ignorance. No, there's a way, a standard, and being sinful means we've gone out of that way. There are denominations, Bible-believing denominations. They believe in being saved like we do. They think you can lose your salvation. Some of them believe that it's also possible to have a second experience after salvation in which the root of sin is removed from your heart, and now you live a life that's pleasing to God, free of sin. I sat in a classroom for two weeks in January of 93 in such a seminary and one of the students raised his hand and said, to the teacher, what if you're loading boxes on the back of a truck and one of the boxes slips out of your hand falls on your foot, you utter words that no Christian should utter, and then you get struck by a car and die before you have a chance to confess it. Where would you go? Now, frankly, there are Christians who believe it's possible to lose your salvation who would reject that kind of a fragile salvation. There are some who say you can only forfeit your salvation by renouncing your faith in Jesus Christ. And those people would agree with our evaluation that this was a very risky type of salvation if you could lose it through one sin. For one thing, you'd never have a place in your theology for the chastening hand of God, because the minute you sinned, you'd no longer be a Christian. So it didn't matter to me what answer the teacher was going to give. I was fascinated with the question. Where would he go? And the teacher said, he would go to heaven because he hadn't intended to utter those words. They were a sin of surprise. I thought, I've had surprises like that in my life. But it also helped me to see they distinguished between the flesh. They said, that's simply your human nature. That's not sin. I lost my temper. See, I'm human. Well, then it's understandable how they can say, well, I haven't sinned in so long of a time. At any rate. No one seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way. There's a way. There's a standard. In fact, the word that's translated sin most often, both in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word, and the corresponding Greek word in the New Testament, means to miss the mark. You have a spear and you're aiming at a target. Have you ever seen the far side cartoon with the two deers and the one is born with a target and bullseye on his ribs and the other deer says, bummer of a birthmark, you know? Aims the spear at the target and misses, misses the mark. Do you think the person intended to miss the mark? No. But that's how sin is defined, and so it's put here. They've all gone out of the way, verse 12. They have together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no not one. You cannot keep all of the law all of the time. It is humanly impossible. Because we are not neutral, we are sinful, and we need to understand that when God says, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness, he's talking about the whole human race. Then God becomes a physician, and the human race becomes the patient. And he examines the throat, verse 13. It's an opened ED, an opened sepulcher or grave, not a freshly dug grave ready to be used, but rather a grave that's been in use for a little while. And then people have dug it up. It's not intended to be a pretty picture. looks at the tongue, in verse 13, and sees deceit. He looks at the lips, in verse 13, and sees poison. He looks at the mouth, in verse 14, and sees cursing and bitterness. He looks at the feet. They're swift to shed blood. You're first after me. You can be my friend if you can help me, and if you can't, get out of the way or you'll be trampled, whether it means literally killing them or whether it means ruining their reputation because they might be in line for the job that I want. Their feet are swift to shed blood and the way of peace they've not known. There is no, verse 18, no fear of God before their eyes. I don't care what God says. I'm going to live my life the way I want to. We will see later in our looking at Romans that when believers talk that way, they are inviting the chastening hand of God into their life. And to what extent will God chasten his children? For this cause many are weak and sick and some sleep, that is, have died prematurely. If you walk after the flesh, you will die prematurely. Well, verse 19, we know that what things whoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped, because even the Gentiles who don't have the law do have the work of the law written on their hearts. Every mouth may be stopped. On Judgment Day, you can't say to God, oh, well, you were right in condemning the other person, but I've got a good excuse. No, every mouth will be stopped and all the world become accountable or guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Now I asked George Zeller to bring me a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church because I wanted to read to you a part of what it says here under section 405. Although it is proper to each individual, original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted. It is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering, and the dominion of death and inclined to sin. In other words, it wishes to say, yes, there is such a thing as original sin, but it's not nearly as terrible as some people say it is. Well, God says it's pretty terrible, and he says that his wrath is revealed from heaven against it. Now, I want to go back to the good news. Because Paul says in chapter 1 verse 16, I am not ashamed of the gospel, the good news of Christ. There are some Greek manuscripts that don't have the words of Christ, and the text in their version says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. However, even in those versions of the Bible, if you were to go to verses 1, 2, and 3, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, which he promised before by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Or verse 9, God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son. Very clearly, the gospel concerns Jesus Christ. The good news, which is what the word gospel means, doesn't describe what we do. It describes who Jesus is. and what He has done for us. Verse 2 says, this gospel had been promised by God before by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning His Son, who is Jesus Christ. He is God's Son. He's not just a great man, a great teacher. He is the Son of God. He is our Lord. No angel, however high in rank, deserves to be called our Lord. Jesus has always existed with God the Father as God the Son. Hebrews tells us that through the Son, God the Father created the eons, the ages, and the worlds. But, verse 3 also tells us here, in Romans 1, that His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh. Now, Bible teachers disagree among themselves, and so I'm taking a chance by telling you my interpretation here. I do not believe that the Holy Spirit was the biological father of our Lord's humanity. I think his humanity came exclusively from his mother, because the Holy Spirit could create a real human being, but that real human being would not be descended from David. He has to be a descendant of David in order to rule and to reign. The Holy Spirit preserved Mary from imparting any kind of sin to the Lord Jesus Christ. But he is the seed of David according to the flesh in his humanity. He's also declared to be the Son of God with power. This one person is both human and divine simultaneously. And the two natures are welded together. The human nature of Christ never existed apart from the divine nature. The very instant that it was created, it was welded to the divine nature. In 1st Corinthians 2.8, if the rulers of this world had understood God's plan, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. This one whom they crucified was both human and divine. Years ago, in Colorado, I had lunch with a pastor of a denomination where they said, God exists only as one person. Jesus is the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Only one person in the Godhead. I said, I would really like to know, and I'm not going to debate with you, but I really would like to know what you think was happening when it says that Jesus was praying to his heavenly father. He said it was his human nature praying to his divine nature. Now he's telling me he believes Christ possessed a human nature and a divine nature, but they're like two little people living inside the body. They're not welded together. So I said, when Jesus hung on the cross, he cried, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? What does that mean? He said, God left the body of the man. Jesus died as a man. I thought, oh, how odd for a denomination that says Jesus is the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God. Now has Jesus dying only as a man. He is both human and divine. Furthermore, the Gospel includes what He did, because He's declared, verse 4, to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. The death of Jesus Christ is very, very important to the Gospel. The Gospel does not concern what we do, it concerns what God did when He sent His Son to die on the cross and be raised from the dead. But then verse 16 says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it's the power of God unto salvation. Salvation is not the gospel. Salvation refers to the benefits of the gospel. And in my, I think it's 445 session later today, we'll talk about some of those benefits of the gospel, the salvation. And it's available to whom? Who receives the benefits that we call salvation? Verse 16 says, to everyone that believes, that trusts. Sometimes we may criticize someone who says, well, water baptism is what saves you. And we say, no, that isn't true. Don't trust in your water baptism. But it's much more common in our circles to hear someone say, I know I'm saved because I've asked Jesus into my heart. And I'm saying, even if that's a good thing, don't put your trust in your trust. Put your trust, the object of your trust must be the Lord Jesus Christ who died for you and rose again. Put your trust in him. Or we may say, You need to remember a time and a place when you've done this. No, God doesn't say that whosoever can remember a time and a place shall not perish but have everlasting life. It is true that we are not born as Christians. There has to come a time when we put our trust in Christ and pass from death into life. But the reality of that isn't dependent upon our remembering a time and a place. For one thing, the work of God in our hearts begins with illumination, enlightenment, and conviction of sin. And then at some point, maybe known only to God, we trust Christ and are saved, and then the Holy Spirit continues His work by giving us assurance of our salvation and giving us more information. And so we may not be able to say here on that line, is when I was saved. The real question is, who are you trusting in right now for your salvation? If it's the Lord Jesus who died for you and rose again, then God's word says you have passed from death into life. And we'll leave it at that for today, at least for now. Let's pray. Father, use these words to encourage us and to strengthen us. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.