Session 80: Romans 1:28-2:12

1:28 “God handed them over to.....do what is improper”  does not mean that God gives up on those who sin. (Which is ALL of us!)  It means that God gives us free will, and God won’t force you to have a relationship with Him.  (He will welcome us back if we desire God and forgiveness, no matter what we’ve done.)

v29-31 Excellent verses to ponder as we do a frequent Examination of Conscience.

2:1-5 We are to judge actions, not another person’s salvation . Also, we frequently don’t know what is going on in another person’s life that may cause a certain behavior.

2:6-10 Paul mentions 4x in 5 verses the importance of doing good “works” and avoiding bad works in seeking eternal life.  (Here, he is using the term “works” to refer to good or bad acts and thoughts, as is clear by his thoughts in vs. 1-5) This idea of “works” having something to do with our salvation is in contrast with Martin Luther’s and many other Protestant churches’ idea that we are saved by “faith alone.”  (More on this when we cover Romans 3 in the context of Romans 2-4 and James 2:24)