Three Exchanges

The Apostle Paul was not one to pull punches when he wrote his letters to the churches.  One thing he never mastered was the art of compromise.  It might even be said that he did not understand the meaning of the word.  People have on occasion left the church and said to the preacher, "Not sure what you were saying today."  Such was something the man from the Damascus Road never heard from those who heard him or read his letters.     

This becomes more than clear as we move into the second half of the first chapter of Romans.  Beginning in verse 23 he characterizes the wicked and ungodly in three ways.  First, they exchanged the glory of immortality for what has only mortality within it (vs. 23); secondly, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie (vs. 25); and, thirdly, they exchanged the worship of the Creator for the worship of the creature (vs. 25).  These exchanges led the people of his day, as they would lead any of us, into a lifestyle that does not honor God or give thanks to Him. (vs. 21)    

There is much to ponder in these words of Paul that were surely inspired by the Spirit.  They are bold words.  They are words that cut to the core of the human predicament created by our sin.  They leave us little wiggle room, if any at all.  And, if we read the words and find that the shoe fits, then the only way to address the uncomfortable unsettling feeling which rises from within us is to be accountable, responsible, and confessional.  We must never forget something else another Apostle wrote, "If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (I John 1:9)