Deeper Reflection
Paul’s list of indictments in verses 21 to 31 is long. I wonder, as you were reading, how many of them you felt apply to you. I find myself guilty among those who continue to do the very things we know that God does not approve of (v.32).Perhaps we, as Christians, have tended to underestimate or underdefine sin. Perhaps we, as Christians, are too eager to brush aside sin and appeal to the grace of God. Perhaps we, as Christians, have forgotten the wrath of God (Rom 2:1-11). Perhaps we, as Christians, have undermined the Gospel of grace by omitting true repentance and sincere faith.Perhaps we, as Christians, have not let the fact sink in, that sin has derailed history from its glorious destiny. And that we are part of it, having no excuse.Biblical scholar Don Carson’s little-known collaborative song with Sandra McCracken has lyrics which are appropriate for our reflection and prayer:I used to nurture bitterness, To count up every slight. The world’s a moral wilderness, And I have felt its blight. Self-pity ruled, resentment reigned; No one understood my pain. I spiraled down in murky night, Insisting that I had the right To hate and hate again.I am ashamed; O, my Lord, forgive.

Click here to listen to the song