God’s Merciful Restraint

Rom 1:24ff

Earlier in Romans 1, Paul established that all men have sinned because, though everyone knew God, all chose to worship creation instead of worshiping God. God’s attributes are clearly seen in His creation, but men suppressed this truth. The result is judgment, but often judgment is not immediate. This is God’s mercy.

God’s mercy of restraint is not forever. Often in our rebellion, God restrains us from “going off the deep end.” It’s His mercy and compassion. It’s not unlike fences that God has placed along the path of life to keep us safe even in the midst of our rebellion, or, at a minimum, keep us from experiencing the full consequences of our rebellion. There is a limit to this merciful restraint if we continue in our rebellion, if we keep pushing the boundaries and trying His patience.

In Romans 1:24ff, the phrase “God gave them over . . .” is used three times.

God gave them over in the desires of their hearts . . . God gave them over to dishonorable passions . . . God gave them over to a depraved mind.

Essentially, God gave them over to themselves, but three things are specifically mentioned — desires of their hearts, their dishonorable passions, their depraved mind. It’s as if God is saying, “OK, you want to call your own shots and have nothing to do with Me? Have at it.” Little do we know that God protects us from ourselves, even when we are rebelling against Him, through His common grace and mercy to all men and women. If we insist on taking the reins of our life, He may just hand over the reins. The outcome of us taking the reins will not be to our liking. On the surface, taking control seems like an excellent idea. Who doesn’t want to be in control?

Let’s look briefly at these three things over to which men are given by God. Mankind, for the most part, is ignorant of what lurks on the inside, i.e. in the human heart. 1) Being driven by the “desires of our hearts,” may seem like a good idea, but quite the contrary. Jeremiah writes, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” 2) There are good passions, e.g. the passion to know God, but there are obviously a plethora of unholy and dishonorable passions. Being driven by these, even to a common person, is a bit more dubious. 3) Finally being controlled by a depraved mind is terrifying, as Hollywood has well depicted, and rather axiomatic. With the statement as a whole, many would not argue; rather the point of contention would be that those who rebel have a depraved mind.  In the Garden of Eden, the fall of man was thorough. It affected every part of man – heart, mind, soul, and body. While a person may look respectable and cultured on the outside, what lurks on the inside can be surprising. Last night the evening news reported the local mayor pro temp was arrested for child pornography. Who would have thought that taking the reins our one’s life would be such a terrifying proposition?

It is terrifying, given the fallen nature of mankind, as he takes the reins blind to the cliffs all around him. If man is perfect in knowledge and perfect in his ability to execute, then taking the reins is a good idea. Man is perfect in neither, not even close. Often we think in a bad situation that things cannot possibly get worse. It can get worse, much worse. If God were to lift His merciful restraints and allow mankind to go his own way, i.e. give mankind over to himself, Armageddon would ensue. We would destroy ourselves and destroy those around us. Destruction may not be swift, but certain. Our pride and arrogance, unknown to us, has led or is leading us to suicidal choices, all the while we proclaim to be wise even as we approach the precipice. Some, in the midst of a free fall, continue to proclaim their wisdom.

Pride is deadly. Praise to God that even in our rebellion, He is merciful.

Verse 24ff shows the ensuing sins as God gives us over to ourselves: homosexuality, idolatry, covetousness, malice, envy, strife, murder, deceit, hostility, gossip, slander, insolent, boastful disobedient to parents, heartless, ruthless, etc. Of course in the church we like to focus on the “politically unacceptable sins” such as homosexuality and murder. There are hosts of “acceptable sins” in the church today such as heartlessness, gossip, deceit, envy, pride that are overlooked and swept under the rug. Yes, we mentally assent to these as being sins, but in our heart we scarcely give it a second glance. Otherwise there would be repentance. To the outside world, the church is known for its vituperation of homosexuality, abortion, and other unacceptable sins, passing judgment from its perch of self-righteousness, but blind to its own sins. Paul’s point is that we’re all in the same boat, in regards to “those who practice such things deserve to die,” whether it’s homosexuality, insolence, envy, or pride. There will be judgment in the church, as Peter writes, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

Has judgment begun in the household of God? If it has not, it is because of God’s merciful restraint. Let us not continue in our sin, but let us repent of our arrogance, self-righteousness, heartlessness, strife, deceit, covetousness, promise-breaking. As we repent, our humility, our compassion, our unity, our sincerity, our selflessness, our faithfulness, wrought in us by the Holy Spirit, will be a fragrant aroma to the world. “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place.”