Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

Regardless of which social, moral, or political issue erupts next, it will be nearly impossible to figure out what really happened once it makes its way through traditional and social media. As a people, we’ve become hardened, jaded, and skeptical of anyone or anything claiming to tell us the truth.

Christians have long held onto the philosophical concept of “The Correspondence Theory of Truth.” Clearly stated, the truth is that which corresponds to reality, and the truth exists to bring us to reality. People who deny the truth are not dealing with reality. Here’s an even simpler way to view truth:

Truth=Reality

Untruth=Unreality

For example, I am an older male of Irish descent. That is a truth that corresponds with reality. If I said to you that I am a young Asian woman, you would not accept my words because it does not correspond with reality and, therefore, it is not true. Even if I felt in my heart that God had made me the wrong age, ethnicity, or gender, I still must contend with reality. The truth is the truth, and reality is reality. It doesn’t matter what a college professor with a degree in suppression says or a researcher schooled in aging, gender, or ethnic studies says. I am still the same guy. In the context of sexuality, gender, and marriage, Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

The suppression of the truth leads many people to believe they have an intellectual argument with the Bible rather than a moral one. However, it is not that people don’t understand what God says; they don’t like what God says. In an age of “critical theories,” the focus is on finding or relocating power. Critical theories criticize those who wield power. The goal is to destroy the person holding power, dismantle the system, and then transfer the power to someone else. The Greek word for suppression is incredibly prophetic. It means "to prevent someone from exercising power."

Imagine for a moment that the truth and the lie are two types of people caught in a fight to the death. You join sides with the lie and try to drown the truth until it dies. This is what suppression looks like—actively holding the truth down until it dies for lack of oxygen. Today, this kind of suppression is happening with everything from hashtags to riots, protests to misinformation, and character attacks to manipulating educational curriculum. There are active movements to throttle networks, news, and social media. This will be how a society exchanges God’s truth about reality for the lie the masses prefer. In the end, it is a demonic movement. Satan is the father of lies, according to Jesus (see John 8:44), and when we choose lies, we are engaged in a spiritual war against God as we try to change reality by suppressing the truth. This scheme is mostly done to deny the sex, gender, and sexuality God created us for and replace it with our own lie-based alternatives. This is exactly the point Paul is making in Romans 1:18–32. Sex has become the new religion seeking to drown the Christian faith.

Today’s Reflection

Is there any truth from God you are suppressing about your life, beliefs, or behaviors?