Romans 1
The Exchange
The Supreme Court has laid out a 3-part litmus test to define Obscenity
It is called the Miller Test
The Miller Test for obscenity includes the following criteria:
(1) whether ‘the average person, applying contemporary community standards’ would find that the work, ‘taken as a whole,’ appeals to ‘prurient interest’
(2) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law, and
(3) whether the work, ‘taken as a whole,’ lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
The Lucas County Prosecutor lost the case against the adult book stores because there was not proof that the material in the adult book stores was Obscene according to “Contemporary Community Standards”
“Contemporary Community Standards” are always changing
It used to be a certain four letter swear word was “patently offensive”
Radio and TV broadcasting would be fined by the Federal Communications Commission if using that four-letter word
Today the four-letter word is used in the most popular movies
It is hard not to be in communication with people
And not hear this four-letter word
Be careful not to exchange the Knowledge of God
For the Community Standards of this world
The Exchange
In the mid 1980’s Toledo Police went undercover to see if
the adult book stores were breaking the law by selling “Obscenity”.
The highest court in the land is The Supreme Court.
Their responsibility is to protect
the Construction of the United States.
The Bill of Rights is the first
Ten Amendments to the Constitution.
In the First Amendment is Freedom of Speech.
Obscenity is not covered by the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court has laid out a 3-part litmus test
to define “Obscenity” called the Miller Test.
The Miller Test for obscenity includes the following criteria…
(1) whether ‘the average person, applying contemporary community standards’ would find that the work, ‘taken as a whole,’ appeals to ‘prurient interest’
(2) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law, and
3) whether the work, ‘taken as a whole,’ lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
The Lucas County Prosecutor lost the case
against the adult book stores because there
was not proof that the material in the adult book
stores was obscene according to
“Contemporary Community Standards”.
“Contemporary Community Standards” are always changing.
It used to be a certain four letter
swear word was “patently offensive”.
Radio and TV broadcasting would be fined
by the Federal Communications Commission
if using that four-letter word.
Today the four-letter word is used in the most popular movies.
It is hard not to be in communication
with people and not hear this four-letter word.
We, as the “Contemporary Community” have
exchanged our standards of yesterday for new ones.
Paul in Romans 1verses 23 and 25 says,
there was an exchange.
For an exchange to take place you
have to have something to exchange.
Paul mentions two things men have exchanged…
Exchanged the Glory of the immortal God
and the Truth of God.
How do we get the Glory and Truth of God?
In verse 19 Paul says…
what may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them
Imagine being born in a village separate from the world.
Missionaries tell us stories all the time of
unreached people groups, that never have
heard of the Gospel, believing in spiritual things.
God has made plain to every person born
His invisible qualities by the things He has created.
You and I can’t help but to “know about God”
so we are without excuse if we ignore Him.
So we “Know about God”.
In verse 21 it says, “They knew God”.
If we know God there are 2 things we should do…
Give God Glory and Thanks.
Give God the credit for all the provisions
He created for us to enjoy.
Imagine if God made you and made nothing else.
You would have eyes, but not see anything.
A mouth, but not eat anything.
Ears, but not hear anything.
Because man did not give God the Glory and Thanks,
they made an exchange.
People find their glory in the things created by God
rather than God, the Giver of those things…
Exchanging the best for the good.
Verse 23
People also exchange the Truth of God for a lie.
Verse 25
This exchange is a perversion of God’s best for us.
In verse 28, is the third action of people’s minds…
since they did not think it worthwhile
to retain the knowledge of God
When the community standard does not
think it is worthwhile to keep God’s standard,
God gives them over to their own thoughts.
Paul made an extensive list of results when…
“We know about God”,
“We knew about God”,
“We don’t think about God”…
When our minds are not filled with God…
The result is God give us over to our thoughts.
In verse 32 Paul concludes…
Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Although they know God’s righteousness
When the community standard exchanges
the Truth of God and His Righteousness…
We exchange them for things that bring death.
Those who do such things and those who
approve of such things, deserve death.
Paul has described the Road to Destruction.
It starts with exchanging our knowledge
of God for the provisions He gave us.
There is a way that seems right to a man
but the end is destruction.
Proverbs 14:12; 16:25
The Book of Romans is famous for
another road called “Romans Road to Salvation”.
found in the rest of the Book.
A road that helps us get back to right thinking about God.
Be careful not to exchange the Knowledge of God
for the Community Standards of this world.
Scripture Reading
Romans 1:18-32 NIV
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
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