Stand Strong in the Word
Stand Strong in the Word is a weekly bible study that teaches through the Bible verse by verse in chronological order. For more information, visit www.standstrongministries.org.
Stand Strong in the Word
#313 “Smarter Than God?” (Romans 1:22)
Have you ever met someone who thought they had it all figured out—always talking like a genius—yet their choices told a very different story? On today’s episode, we’re discussing how rejecting God’s truth results in spiritual blindness—even when someone thinks they are smarter than God.
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Have you ever met someone who thought they had it all figured out, always talking like a genius, yet their choices told a different story? On today's episode, we're discussing how rejecting God's truth results in spiritual blindness, even when someone thinks they are smarter than God. Turn to Romans, chapter 1, and let's stand strong in the word together. Well, hey there, my friends, welcome to Stand Strong in the Word podcast. Jason Menon is with you guys, as always, blessed to be with you guys as we continue our study here in the book of Romans. We're going to be in chapter one and we're going to be looking at verse 22. Now, if you have your Bibles open or you know this verse, you're like what, jason, you're only going to cover. What is it? Seven words in the ESV claiming to be wise, they became fools. Yes, that's right. We're just going to be looking at this one verse and obviously, the last few episodes of the podcast we've been just looking at each verse, because there's so much in the context of Romans, chapter 1, and I really want to highlight this one specifically because and the title is smarter than God? Question mark. Of course, the answer is no, but what does this actually mean? Because Paul uses a very specific word that we're going to look at claiming to be what, to be wise, but the end result is they become fools or they became fools. And this is so relevant to what we're seeing in the world today. There's a lot of AI stuff and advancements and new technology and innovation and everyone's talking about narcissism and everyone's a narcissism and all that kind of stuff, but there's a lot of people who make claims or they pretend or just how pretentious people can be, and yet in the end, guess what? Or how many people will praise a particular individual and then they find themselves in another scandal or they declare bankruptcy or all the conversations that surround who's the goat and how much time and press and attention and printed work is done. Looking at the quote successes of these, you know premier athletes of these. You know premier athletes, and yet you look at their personal lives and many of them either are cheating on their spouse or never home raising their kids, or they have a broken marriage or they get divorced, and so, again, a lot of stuff is claiming to be wise and yet all of it is just really foolish.
Speaker 1:So before we dive in, I just want to encourage you guys to know that we have so many other resources made available for you guys. Obviously, this particular podcast, we go through the Bible. Right now we're going through the New Testament. If you're new to this podcast, we're doing in chronological order and we started, obviously, with the Gospels and so if you've missed out, you can always go back to all those previous episodes. This is, I think, podcast 313. And so you can go back to all those other podcasts and have at it, and I pray that's a huge blessing to you. But you can go to standstrongministriesorg. We have a website there.
Speaker 1:Our ministry provides articles, videos and books that I've written to continue to help you guys stand strong in your faith with wise thinking and bold living. And I also want to encourage you guys to leave us a review and to share this with your friends, because there's so many of you guys who listen to this podcast. You even let us know and yet I know sometimes it's hard, but it's a simple thing and it's so meaningful to us because you guys are our hands and feet. You know you're like our marketers. You're out there sharing the stuff with people and that is such a huge blessing and an honor Cause even in my travels I can't tell you how many times many of you guys say hey, you know, I downloaded one of the episodes and or I have a pastor telling me hey, I'm studying the book of Romans and I started your study. And then sometimes people will say it it's funny, they're like you know, I'm in chapter four now and you're still in chapter one. But you know, it's just, it's just a blessing to know that so many of you guys pray for us. But we want you guys to know that we fill your prayers and we appreciate them so much and we're also available to answer your questions. You can always contact us by dropping an email info at standstrongministriesorg.
Speaker 1:I'm currently writing a new book on spiritual warfare. I'm answering the top 30 questions that I've been asked as an apologist and a pastor through the years, but also questions I had when it comes to spiritual warfare. So if you even have questions about that, I'd be glad and honored to help you guys. So let's do this. Let's go back a little bit before we dive in verse 22. Let's begin in verse 18, because this chunk here really breaks it down, giving us context, because once we get into verse 26, where it says for this reason, god gave them up to dishonorable passions. So we have to really understand verses 18 through 25. And so right here we're in verse 22.
Speaker 1:But again, there's an argumentation. If you will, these are premises that are leading to a conclusion. That's what Paul's doing here. So when he says in verse 18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, so notice in the context, that's what we're dealing with. Okay, so every time when we're looking at a particular verse, let's keep in mind when he's saying in verse 22, claiming to be wise, they who are? They? It's the ungodly and the unrighteousness of men who, by their unrighteousness, what do they do? In their unrighteousness, they suppress the truth and if you remember, in that terminology is they are intentionally. They know that this is right and they don't want it to be right, they don't want to live according to the standards that God has set, and so they try to silence it, they push it out. So if you have people in your life who don't and it's not always that they can reason through some things or they're thinking, you know, and trying to figure things out, it's different when somebody just doesn't want to hear it. There's done and there's anger, there's resentment and they go into attack mode. That is somebody who's suppressing the truth. They're trying to silence you, they're trying to bully you. We see that obviously in a lot of the public square environments.
Speaker 1:Why is it always the Christian who is the one that gets canceled immediately? Because we are light bearers, we expose the darkness. So in verse 19, he says for what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. Then it says in verse 20, for his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. So we talked about, god has plainly revealed himself and he's given us the ability to know who he is and to respond to him, because we're all wired to know him and to worship him. Okay, instinctively, intuitively. And so we're. We're without excuse.
Speaker 1:And but then, notice, in verse 21 it says for although they knew god, they did not honor him as god or give thanks to him. But they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were what they were darkened. And this is what we have to understand, as we're looking now, when he says that because of that they claim to be wise. So when they knew that god exists, but they willingly and defiantly and disobediently chose to say I don't care to worship him, though. That's the rebellion. That's what paul's saying. And they say I don't need god in my life, so they're acknowledging that he exists. I don't want you in my life, so they're not going to honor him. Remember the Greek word for did not? Honor is an absolute negative oik. It literally means they absolutely did not honor. So again, there's that vengeance, if you will, in their heart. There's a deliberate intentionality, okay, so they are deliberately saying I don't want to honor you in my life and I'm not going to give you thanks.
Speaker 1:So you see, oftentimes in world religions, when they're giving thanks to mother earth or they're giving thanks to spirit guides or to their ancestors who died, when they kill an animal, when they have something to eat or if they feel protected, we go back to remember the Israelites. They know that God, that Yahweh saved them, the God of Abraham, isaac and Jacob. And yet when Moses left to the mountain, what did they say? We need to make an idol and honor this idol. And they made a golden calf and said these are the gods that protected us from the Egyptians and took us out of captivity.
Speaker 1:So, instead of honoring God in his place and giving thanks to him, you exchange that to give thanks to something that is entirely different, and that's what Paul was talking about when he was using this word honor and not giving thanks. I mean, those are terminologies of worship and so, because of that, they became futile in their thinking, meaning emptiness, uselessness even in their imagination, and so they come up with all this false stuff about God. So when you see writings or you watch a video on YouTube and you have somebody who has these different views of God whether you're seeing a Muslim and says that Allah is the one true God and he's made up of 99 attributes, if you will, and he's to be worshipped. Or you talk to a Hindu and there's different deities. Or you talk to, you know, buddhists and they're non-theistic and they just believe in nirvana.
Speaker 1:Or you hear an atheist and they say well, I can't believe in a god like the bible because he's a, he's a moral monster, and that's, that's the futility of their thinking that paul's pointing out. But let's not get lost in, if you will, their argumentation or their process of thinking because, remember, paul says, their foolish hearts were darkened. So the natural, the spiritual inclination to follow God has become obscured, has become darkened by sin, and so there's wickedness. And there could not all the time, because I've encountered many people who are religious, who are Hindu, or maybe a Muslim, or somebody who's an atheist, and they can still live moral lives. They just can't give you the proper explanation as to why doing the good is the right thing to do and not doing the wrong is right to do as well. Right when you don't do the wrong Because they don't have God as their moral standard. And so, because of all this that we learned last time, then you get to verse 22 and he's saying they claim to be wise, but yet they became fools. And what's so interesting that I want to point out before we go any further is you have to understand what Paul's saying here, and this is why I just wanted to sit on this verse, because there's so much here.
Speaker 1:They chose, in the process of rejecting God, to then say I will live the way I want to live, and whatever happens happens. And then when it says they became fools, okay, think about like this is not every teenager because, by God's grace, my wife and I didn't really have this with our teenagers. But when you have a teenager who believes I know more than you and I'm going to live how I want to live, despite what you say, and hey, we'll see what happens, well, that's, in this case, again, the unrighteous of man. Because of their ungodliness and rejecting and suppressing the truth, they're saying I know better, I'm going to live this way. And then, when they do, they realize uh-oh, this was wrong, this didn't turn out the way that I thought it would be. Or when someone is claiming this is not a sin, I can do it, marriage can be whatever I want it to be. And then they realize the natural consequences. That's what Paul's saying here. So they claim one thing, they pretend one thing to be true, and yet they realize that they are a fool. So it wasn't just they were being foolish in their thinking or in their decision making. They become fools because if you go back in verse 18 all the way down to verse 21, they rejected god. They didn't want them in their life. So here paul's reaching this climax of the ungodly descent to remove god and do as they wished, thinking there's not going to be any consequences. And so, because they became futile in their thoughts and because their hearts were darkened, all the sinner can do is pretend to be wise, to pretend that their life is all together, to try to look at their life and say, see how wonderful, I'm fighting these things, I've advanced. You know social justice, you know I'm saving, you know polar bears in the Arctic? On, on and on we go, and they have to placate to that.
Speaker 1:I like what the Phillips Touchstone translation says, because it really draws out the language of Paul here. In the original Greek it says behind a facade of air, quotes wisdom. They became just fools. So let's break down this term in Greek claiming. This word is Fco and it means a pretending. That is boastful, suggesting self-confidence without any basis. Precept Austin on the website says this quote the idea conveyed by this verb is that one is speaking with an air of certainty, stating something with a high degree of confidence. Stating something with a high degree of confidence the New American Standard translates FASCO with the English word assert, which means to affirm or declare positively or with assurance, and often even forcefully or aggressively. The idea asserts implies stating confidently, without need for proof or regard for evidence, end quote. So the point here?
Speaker 1:With this word claiming to be wise and obviously Sophia, the term that's used for wisdom the ungodly assert themselves over God because they believe they know more than God, or they're better than God, or they're wiser than God, or they're smarter than God, or they're wiser than God, or they're smarter than God, which is why I titled this episode smarter than God question mark, because that's the arrogance, what, what the terminology of claiming is. They're trying to prove, they're trying this, this out, and yet all they're really doing is acting. They're pretending because, again, you can't replace god, you cannot overthrow god. Meyer's new testament commentary refers to their wisdom as false conceit. So they may assert themselves, they may think that because I remove god, I'm stronger than him and I'll show him I have no need for him. And yet they realize at some point that no, they're living a lie. And so there's no doubt this claiming to be wise, who does this point to?
Speaker 1:I believe it's an undeniable reference to Lucifer. Remember Lucifer in heaven. He believed he could seize control of God's kingdom, and yet we know, in his prideful spirit, he assumed his rule, and yet he couldn't defeat God. He thought he was far greater. And even that pursuit of trying to overthrow God. In essence and in his prideful spirit as an incorporeal being, he was saying I can do better than you, god, I can rule better than you. But my friends, you and I know, and Lucifer learned as he became Satan. And Adam and Eve learned when they realized they were naked in sin and their relationship with God had been broken and they handed over their dominion over the earth to Satan and even the ungodly.
Speaker 1:Here in Romans, chapter one, they will learn that you can never replace God for anything. It's not going to work and that's what they were attempting to do. And so when you think about people in your life who have tried to do that, it will never work. Trying to replace the Lord, it will never work thinking that we can be better than him, that we know better.
Speaker 1:Remember Solomon in his wisdom, he rightly affirmed this fundamental truth in Proverbs 1, verse 7, the fear of the Lord is what, the beginning of knowledge. And then he goes on to say fools despise wisdom and instruction. So this, claiming to be wise, they are being foolish in their thinking, and that is something that is hard to really digest when you think about people in your own lives. But Paul uses this in a present act of participle, because it's this continuation of unfoundedness. But they're so prideful and they're so boastful. They assert like they know everything, but there's no proof, there's no evidence, and so all it underscores in their arrogance is how foolish they really are, because they're not grounded in divine truth, because they're suppressing the truth. So that's why, when you see so many things, you're so chaotic and saying how can somebody say up is down and down is up, right is wrong and wrong is right, or that a man says he's trapped in a nine-year-old body and he's 55 years old? It's because of what the Bible is saying here. They claim to be wise, yet they became fools. The starting point of true knowledge, as you and I know it as a follower of Jesus Christ, is to fear and honor God. But if you turn away from him and you exchange God for something else, meaning, remember they knew God, but they chose not to honor or to give thanks to him. So it's not just living a very selfish life when you factor in an atheist, for example, and they reject that starting point and then they proceed to live a life that is void of God's wisdom and instruction, what do you think that's going to look like.
Speaker 1:A prime example of this that we saw with religious leaders, particularly the Jews. In scripture is found in Acts 24, verse 9. Remember when Paul was brought before Felix and Tertullus was making all of these false accusations against Paul? Because they're trying to get something to stick because he was in fact innocent. And we're told in Acts 24, verse 9, it says the Jews also joined in on the charge, affirming all these things were so, even though they knew that Paul was innocent, but they would prefer to believe the lies about him, just like people would rather believe lies about Jesus than surrender their lives to him because they don't want to accept the truth. And the truth is that Paul was preaching was that Jesus is the living savior, that he is the Messiah, that he died on the cross because the sinful hands of the Jews put him there, and also the Romans. And yet on the third day he rose from the dead. And if that's the case, that he defeated sin and death, that he rose again, that he's in his resurrected body, he's ruling in heaven and one day he's going to return, that means we all need to get our act together and we all need to profess him as a one true, living god. So that's what paul's saying here.
Speaker 1:Now he shifts to this futility in their thinking because they become fools. It literally means in greek they just became stupid. Because a sinful man may boast in his intelligence or accomplishments, but ultimately, when you don't honor the Lord, you don't recognize him, that person's life and all their possessions amount to nothing. So let's break this down. When it says that they became fools, this is an eros, passive verb from Morono and it means to become fools or were made foolish.
Speaker 1:And one commentary was pointing out that this eros tense indicates a decisive point of entry into folly. So this is interesting because when you go back to the language that Paul is using. So this is interesting because, when you go back to the language that Paul's using, they intentionally chose to reject the truth and know that they're going into an entry point of disaster, because the passive voice suggests divine agency. What that means is that God judicially inflicts this foolishness as punishment, inflicts this foolishness as punishment, and this is what we're going to get into when we look in, you know, when we look at verses 24, 26 and 28, specifically when in verse 24 says therefore, god gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity. Verse 26 says for this reason, god gave them up to dishonorable passions. And then verse 28,. 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. So when they became foolish, there's almost this response of knowing that because of the punishment that results of making that choice, to enter into that folly.
Speaker 1:Now, what's also interesting is that the root moros the word that Paul uses here of fools or foolishness that comes from is not just silliness but also is highlighting a level of spiritual dullness and absurdity. So again, when you go back to 1 Corinthians 1, and verse 18 says for the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God, for it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning. I will thwart. Then verse 20 says where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where's the debater of the discerning? I will thwart. Then verse 20 says where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world.
Speaker 1:For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach, to say those who believe Dr Douglas Moe in his epistle to the Romans this is how he put it he says God not only reveals his wrath but also in a sense creates the conditions for it by allowing sin to run its course. So what he's connecting here in what Paul's unpacking theologically is that worldly wisdom which is foolishness before God. When that is applied, when it's lived out, it's intellectual pride. It's rejecting God as the truth, it's rejecting divine revelation. It's saying whatever they want to say, they want to be able to say if God calls it sin, they say it's not sin, love is love, for example. And when you live that falsehood out, it will have its major consequences.
Speaker 1:You know matthew henry in his classic commentary back written back in the 1700s, he said that when they, when they profess themselves to be wise, he says basically, what they're uttering or showing is gross and absurd conceit. And doesn't this highlight when you look at the luxuriousness of many of the Egyptian pharaohs who believed they were gods and when they would die they would build these extravagant ziggurats in places to house them with all of their luxury and wealth, so that they can. Many of them would put boats in there and put their tomb in there, so that they would be able to use the boat to cross the river to their afterlife and the possessions they earned on this side of the world. They were able to take that into their afterlife and that's utter absurdity. And yet, but we look at that and people would praise these things and it was so alluring to people, and yet it's complete and total ignorance of who God really is and what salvation really is. Impossible. As you and I look at this verse, claim to be wise, they became fools. It's impossible to live a life of joy and fulfillment. It's impossible for you and I to have a true sense of worth and purpose without God. When you and I look at Psalm 14, verse 1, we look at Psalm 53, verse 1. They provide insight.
Speaker 1:When the Bible says this clearly that it is foolishness, right, it says when the fool says in his heart there is no God, they are corrupt and their actions are evil. Not one of them does good. So when we actually go back and we think about, well, I know Muslims who are very moral. I know Mormons who are very moral. Guys, it's not about morality that saves you. The Bible clearly says when someone says there is no God, they are corrupt and their actions are evil. And not one of them does good.
Speaker 1:This is what Paul's pulling from later when he jumps into Romans, chapter three, based on what he just said here, as we've been studying here in chapter one. And yet, despite all this, this is what is so amazing when you go back to 1 Corinthians 1, verse 21,. It was so ridiculous as it might seem to the Romans and to the Greeks who took pride in their social standings, and yet realizing wait a second a poor Jewish man from Galilee is the Messiah. That's ridiculous. What folly.
Speaker 1:And yet Paul's saying what you guys may think is what is saving? Grace? Of course, the concept of grace they didn't understand because they thought their good works, their possessions, their wealth, their status is what saves them. I'm too important not to exist in the afterlife. That's not the case. So, my friends, when we look at these sort of things, that we realize the power of the gospel, that Jesus Christ came into this world, that God took on flesh, that he lived a sinless life. He was raised in a very remote part of Israel. He was a Galilean. He was a very unlikely individual that people would think would be the Messiah that God came and dwelt among us, and yet he did because he loves us.
Speaker 1:So, no matter how boastful, prideful or even people in your life who reject vehemently God in their life and they don't want to talk about Jesus, keep praying for them. Don't give up on them, but realize that they may pretend that they have everything together, but in reality, if they're rejecting God and they're not living for him, they don't. Thank you, my friends, for listening today. Make sure you check out standstrongministriesorg to check out all the resources that we made available for you guys, and if you find this ministry to be helpful, that you're grounded in God's word, you're falling in love with God's word. Please consider becoming a Stand Strong supporter by going to the website standstrongministriesorg. Forward slash donate or when you go to the website, just click on the word donate. There it's a secure giving. We are nonprofit, tax exempt status 501c3. So that is a huge blessing for you guys but, more importantly, a blessing to us, so that we can continue to do the work that God has called us to do so. Until next time, keep standing strong in the word of God.