(Audio)
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen.
Herein lies the risk we all face when we don't enter deeply into the gospel. The gospel reveals God's salvation and his righteousness. Without the gospel our reason is able to know God through creation. Yet without revelation we are quite adept at fooling ourselves.
Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
While claiming to be wise, they became fools
It is not just those entirely without the gospel whose minds are darkened. To the degree that we don't rely on the gospel ourselves our minds are also darkened. We are meant to have our minds renewed.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (see Romans 12:2).
There is the choice. We can let this world conform us. Or we can let God's word transform us. The later possibility is the only one worthy of our hope. Yet it does not just happen. We can't hope that it will work by osmosis. Not being ashamed of the gospel means more than not cringing when we hear it. It means being unafraid to think and even to speak it (which means knowing it and even having it memorized to some degree). It means that it can't just remain on the inside but needs to be fully expressed.
The Pharisees bear the fruit of that with which they are filled: plunder and evil. They, like the world, polish an exterior designed to look acceptable and impressive. They are not living lives based primarily on God's word. Instead it is secondary, used only to justify what they would do anyway.
The Pharisees need to confess God's word, saying that they love their neighbor as themselves. They need that word to change their minds, become true in them, and change their actions. They are told to give alms which will depend also on that inner change. With them we need to hear that God loves a cheerful giver. Yet we know that what he commands he empowers. By the grace of the Holy Spirit we can say, "I am a cheerful giver!" Yet we are ashamed. We think we ought to do it ourselves. Let us learn from Paul.
I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.
If we embrace the Gospel we can join in with the heavens in proclaiming God's glory.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
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