Retaining Knowledge of God

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient


These words jumped out at me- Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.


Do you like to retain God in your knowledge? Seriously do you? Do I? Do we? What does it mean to retain God in our knowledge?


The verse reads even as they... who are the they?


Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools


The 'they' are those who when they knew God- they glorified him not as God...professing themselves to be wise they became fools. The 'they' are those who have the chance to know God and even in knowing Him they choose not to give God the glory due to Him. Anyone who knows God and chooses not to glorify him is a fool.


'Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.' The they are any of us that don't choose to retrain God in our knowledge. We fill our lives with all sorts of things, all kinds of knowledge. We increase our knowledge of characters on a television screen, we increase our knowledge of fictional beings in books, we increase our knowledge in our ability to play games, we don't ever stop learning. Daily our knowledge is increasing even when we don't imagine that it is and can say with all assumed honesty that we didn't learn anything yesterday. In truth all your actions of the day before gave you knowledge. Were you sick and just laid in bed all day moaning in misery? Did you learn anything then? You learned to appreciate feeling better that much more. It's a simple thing but a lot of our learning is just that, simple and done without us even recognizing it as learning. Our lives are one learning experience after another. Our lives are made up of the sum of our learning experiences. Even those who seeming never learn from their mistakes, are learning but choosing not to avail themselves of the knowledge they've acquired. We live and in doing so we are learning the two go hand in hand. I'm not saying that everyone who lives is a scholar of great magnitude, I'm not saying everyone obtains a degree but we are constantly learning even if our lives seem to be utter failures. This part of the verse that jumped out at me...'Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.' it jumped out at me for a reason. Often as we go about life acquiring knowledge we make choices on what we wish to retain. We focus on one thing over another, we let certain things become more important to us than other things. When a person chooses NOT to like to retain God in their knowledge they are choosing to abandon what they know of God. Just as we all learn right from wrong as we grow up, we can choose whether or not we like to retain the knowledge of right and wrong and if we choose to like the knowledge of wrong doing over right doing our lives will reflect that. What we like to retain in our minds sets a course for our lives. Anyone who chooses not to like retaining God in their knowledge is setting a course away from God and without God we have no hope for eternal life, no hope for redemption.

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient


God gave them over to a reprobate mind...God allows those who don't like to retain knowledge of Him to do the things that they want to do, God will NOT force anyone to believe on Him. God will not force anyone to like to retain knowledge of Him. We make the choice ourselves whether or not we like to retain God in our knowledge. In choosing to like to retain God in our knowledge we are keeping Him ever in our minds and ever before us as the supreme being in our lives even before ourselves. We are giving God rule over us and living for Him, not for ourselves. We like to retain God in our knowledge, keeping God in our lives forever. Read further on about those who don't like to retain God in their knowledge.


Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them


God giving them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient- one or all or these can be symptoms of those who don't like to retain God in their knowledge but would rather He never existed to confound their lives.

Unrighteousness
Fornication
Wickedness
Covetousness
Maliciousness
Full of envy
Murder
Debate
Deceit
Malignity
Whisperers
Backbiters
Haters of God
Despiteful
Proud
Boasters
Inventors of evil things
Disobedient to parents
Without understanding
Covenantbreakers
Without natural affection
Implacable
Unmerciful

That's a long list of things isn't it? Chances are we might find ourselves in there somewhere, does that mean we aren't among those who like to retain the knowledge of God? No, but it should give us pause to seek the Lord and a much closer walk with Him so that we aren't taken over by any of those things. We will always struggle as long as Satan is there to tempt us. We are flesh and spirit and Satan will go after our fleshy side for as long as we live. The Apostle Paul called himself a wretched man who warred within himself. We are the same, we will war within ourselves and that's a good thing. It's when the warring ceases we might want to do a double check. Christ alone can save us through His righteousness. We have to keep Him forever before us. We have to like retaining the knowledge of God in our lives so that we aren't given over to a reprobate mind. By the grace of God, by the mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever may we always and forever like to retain God in our knowledge, in all our knowing, know Him first and foremost. Through the Holy Spirit's guidance.

Amen.


Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Mar 4:22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.