Monthly Archives: August 2025

Bible, God's Will, Judgment, Right, Scripture, Truth

ACCORDING TO TRUTH

ROMANS 2:2

“And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.”

Often things are not as they appear. That is no truer than right now in our world. AI has changed how we can look at things. We may think we are seeing or hearing something as true, but it is computer generated. We are even using AI in our ministry to make people in our training videos speak other languages. They look like they know how to speak Portugese or Spanish when all they know is English. Looks can be deceiving.

The phrase “rightly falls” is literally “according to truth” in the Greek. Albert Barnes says this about that phrase. “God will judge those who are guilty of such things, not according to appearance, but in integrity, and with righteousness. He will judge people according to the real nature of their conduct, and not as their conduct may appear to people. The secret, as well as the open sinner therefore; the hypocrite, as well as the abandoned profligate, must expect to be judged according to their true character.”

APPLICATION

We cannot doubt God’s judgment. It will fall on the right person at the right time. Job asked in Job 21:7, “Why do the wicked prosper, grow old and also become very powerful?” You may ask the same question. That is not for us to know. We have to trust the One who knows what is right for each individual. The only judgment we can have any control over is our own. We must come to Him and seek His will.

One commentator simply said of this phrase “according to truth” that God’s judgment squares with the facts. When all the facts are laid out, as they will be one day, God’s judgment will fall. Isn’t it nice to know that our judgment has already been taken care of by the Lamb of God? We have been declared not guilty due to the shed blood of the innocent Son of God.

We can guide others to a saving knowledge of Jesus, thus alleviating their judgment, but we can’t save a soul. Some people will still refuse to believe. I know people like that. Their pride will not let them bow before King Jesus. They will hold on to that pride until God’s judgment rightly falls on them. God save their soul! Let’s pray everyone will turn to Him before it’s too late.

Father, thank You that my judgment has been paid for and I am free from the penalty of sin.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Excuses, Forgiveness, Judgment, Mercy, Scripture

NO EXCUSE

ROMANS 2:1

“Therefore you have no excuse, you foolish person, every one of you who passes judgment; for in that matter in which you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” 

That’s the bottom line – we have no excuse. After the past several verses of chapter 1, Paul simply says, “Therefore you have no excuse.” Have you ever had to admit that? I sure have. I’m 64 years old and have been married almost 40 years. There have many things I have done in those years for which I had no excuse. I have learned to just admit when I’m wrong (well, at least most of the time, lol). I don’t need to rationalize my decision.

The literal Greek for that first phrase is “Therefore inexcusable you are.” Ouch! The Greek word for “inexcusable” is anapológētos which has that same negative prefix alpha which we saw in 1:31. The second part of the word comes from apologeomai which means to defend or excuse. One source I looked at said it “frequently describes the hopelessness of trying to defend a case in court, while lacking an adequate defense.”

APPLICATION

But you have to read the rest of the verse to see what Paul is talking about. He is telling these Roman believers they had no right to judge those people he had just been writing about. In fact, he says, “for you who judge practice the same things.” Isn’t that still the case today? Usually, people who bark the loudest are the most guilty. Take the beam out of your own eye first, we are told.

Who will do the judging? God will. We will all stand before a holy God one day. Unbelievers will face a harsh judgment and be separated eternally from God. Believers will be judged on their works here on earth. But we will all face God. We have no excuse. We won’t be able to point our fingers at our spouses or employers or the government. No one is going to be held accountable for our sins but we ourselves.

When you see a brother or sister struggling in sin, pray for them. If you are able to help restore them, do that without entangling yourself. Remember, except for the grace of God, there you go also. None of us have arrived. We are all on this journey together. We have no excuse for our own sins. Repent today and seek the Lord’s forgiveness.

O Lord, forgive me for being judgmental of others and pointing fingers at their sin when I have sin in my own life which need to be confessed.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Agreement, Bible, Disobedience, God's Will, Right, Scripture, WRONGS

SPITTING IN GOD’S EYE

ROMANS 1:32

“and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.”

I worked over thirty years in the child welfare field serving in various children’s homes throughout the Southeastern U.S. During those years, I had to deal with a lot of unruly, out of control kids. I intervened in a lot of fights. I had to deescalate kids who were threatening to hurt themselves or others. That involves risk. But the one thing that got me the most upset was when a child would spit on me. That’s just nasty. Forget the germs. I mean it’s just rude and disrespectful.

In today’s verse, that image came to mind. These people Paul is talking about were basically spitting in God’s eye when he says they knew God’s law and the consequences of breaking it, but they just didn’t care. They went right ahead and broke it and encouraged others to do the same. Just like spitting in someone’s eye, that’s just rude and disrespectful. In this concluding verse about these individuals, Paul is setting up his remarks in the next chapter (which we will begin tomorrow).

APPLICATION

The Greek word used here for “approve” is syneudokéō “(from sýn, ‘identity with’ and eudokéō, ‘seems good’) – properly, to consent in a ‘hearty’ (personal) way, in keeping with the close identification involved (note the syn); enthusiastically agree to cooperate with a partner to reach solutions, i.e. to achieve the things both have committed to do together.” (HELPS Word studies). This word is used six times in the New Testament both positively and negatively. Here, of course, we see a negative connotation.

The same word is used Acts 8:1 to describe Saul (later called Paul) being “in hearty agreement” with stoning Stephen to death for being a Christian. Remember, it said that they laid their robes at the feet of Saul. We don’t know if Saul actually threw a stone at Stephen, but he was just as guilty of his death. He readily approved of their actions. We would see Saul to go on to begin his own rampage against the early believers, resulting in his Damascus road experience.

Our world is in “hearty agreement” with people’s sins today. I could make a list of those to prove my point, but you know them. Society has become so “gray” in their perceptions of what is right and what is wrong. There are no rights and wrongs anymore, just what you feel is right or wrong. We are “spitting in the eye of God” each time we ignore the truths of His Word. Look at your worldview. Does it line up with God’s biblical worldview? Heaven and hell are real. Sin has consequences. God blesses obedience. What are you “approving” today?

O Lord, forgive me for not believing in Your truths and living my life as I see fit. I repent of that and ask Your forgiveness.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Family, Love, Mercy, Scripture, Understanding, Untrustworthy

THE POWER OF THE NEGATIVE

ROMANS 1:31

“without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful;”

Negative comments and behaviors can be very hurtful. Have you ever experienced that? I sure have. I will never forget some of the ones I have received in my life. Unfortunately, some of those were delivered by “Christians” who thought they had the right to put me in my place. There is never an excuse for that. We, as believers, cannot be part of that. I hope you agree.

In today’s verse, we have four words that could be good but are turned into a negative by one little prefix. It’s the Greek letter alpha. Just one letter turns these words into the negative. Paul was led by the Spirit to use these four words with this little negative prefix. I truly believe God wants us to see how easy it is to move a good thing to a bad thing. Let’s look at these four words.

APPLICATION

The first word is asýnetos which “describes a person failing to structure information in a meaningful way, and therefore unable to reach necessary conclusions. This person is illogical because unwilling to use good reason.” The good part of this word means to have understanding. Don’t we all want that?

Next is asunthetos which is the negative of a convenant keeper. What is that? A covenant breaker. This person cannot be trusted to keep a covenant with you. They are relationship destroyers. They only care about themselves. No covenants for them. No sir! They are in charge.

The third word Paul uses is astorgos. Now, look closely at this word. It takes a good word storge and makes it ugly. Storge is the Greek word that is normally used to describe familial love. It’s the love a parent has for a child. In that culture, children were often sacrificed to pagan gods. We can see all through Rome the intentional termination of children if they were deformed or even unwanted. This is a horrible word only used here and 2 Timothy 3:3.

The last word we see in today’s verse is aneleemon which goes against the very character of God. It’s the negative of merciful. These people were merciless. They didn’t care about others’ hurts or condition. As long as they came out on top, that’s all that mattered.

Do you see how one little letter, the letter alpha, can turn good into bad. Now, let me ask you something. Have you taken something good and made it bad. It can happen so easily. Let’s follow the Lord in all our decisions and behaviors. Don’t let those little negatives ruin your testimony or the life of someone else.

O Father, let me focus on the good, not the bad. Help me keep those little negatives out of my mind and spirit.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Disobedience, God's Will, Hate, Hatred, Scripture

HATERS OF GOD

ROMANS 1:30

“slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,”

I have known some people who truly hated God. They blamed Him for every bad thing that happened to them. They couldn’t love a God “that allowed that sort of thing.” The fact of the matter is, we were all haters of God until we came to salvation. Living lives opposed to His law makes us haters, according to Scripture. I could have taken any one of the words mentioned in today’s verse, but this one really explains them all.

Paul says these individuals he has been discussing for the past several verses were indeed “haters of God.” The word for “haters” is theostygḗs and is used only here in Romans 1:30. HELPS Word studies says it is “derived from theós, ‘God’ and stygeō, ‘abhor’ – properly, to abhor God (His will). This rare term refers to people who totally turn against the Lord.” A person who fits this category is capable of any of the words mentioned in verse 29 and 30.

APPLICATION

In John 3:20 Jesus says this about these haters of God. “‘For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.’” Darkness is used to try to hide our behaviors. I can name all kinds of sin that are done in the cloak of darkness. But God sees through the darkness, does He not?

Jesus tells us in John 7:7, “‘The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil.’” When we expose the deeds done in the darkness, the evil will come against us with fangs bared and snarling. Our ministry has seen that all over the world as we have taught men how to come out of the darkness and live in the light. The haters of God do not want this. They want to keep us enslaved to our sins and in their camp as haters of God.

In one more verse from John, Jesus warns us in John 15:18 that, “‘If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.’” Don’t be surprised if you get called names and attacked for living a godly life. Don’t be shocked at the behaviors of others, even some in the church who are living according to God’s will, when you confront their sin. We have a responsibility though to share the truth and let God do the convicting. Their hatred of Him does not surprise Him, nor does it lessen His love for them. We should respond likewise.

Father, allow me to be Your vessel in this ongoing battle against those who hate You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Evil, Lifestyles, Scripture, Unrighteousness, Wickedness

NOT A PRETTY LIST

ROMANS 1:29

“people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips,” 

I have often made pros and cons lists when I needed to make a decision. It could be about a move somewhere or trying to decide about a new job. I know some people who have those kinds of lists about whom they will date. It doesn’t make much sense to make a decision when the cons outweigh the pros, right? Aren’t you glad God didn’t weigh us that way?

In today’s verse, Paul begins a list that is pretty bad. It’s a list of behaviors and lifestyles that go against every fabric of decency, much less any sort of godliness. Now, before you start judging people over these behaviors, remember that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Our job as believers is to walk in such a way that we avoid these behaviors. The key to the verse is the participle verb at the beginning, “having been filled.” Let’s look at that.

APPLICATION

“Having been filled” is from the Greek verb pléroó. It can be translated as “to fully, completely fill, (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), (figuratively) to fully supply, satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction).” (Lexical Summary) So, you see it can have lots of meanings. Barnes says about this phrase, “Being filled – That is, the things which he specifies were common or abounded among them. This is a strong phrase, denoting that these things were so often practiced as that it might be said they were full of them. We have a phrase like this still, when we say of one that he is full of mischief, etc.”

These were not one-time events in these people’s lives. This was their lifestyle. We all sin. We all fail. But we cannot stay there. We can’t remain in the sin. We can’t continue in the sin “that so easily entangles us.” I once talked with a guy who “slipped” four times and had sex with women other than his wife. And he couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t forgive him. Lifestyles matter when it comes to living for Jesus. Amen?

I don’t really need to go through the list of things Paul mentions here. You can look all those up if you want further explanations of them. The point I want to make is we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not hedonistic lifestyles. We need to be filled with the motive to glorify Jesus in all we do, not glorify our own fleshly appetites. What or Who is filling you today?

Fill my cup, Lord. I lift it up, Lord. Come and quench the thirsting of my soul.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, God's Will, Goodness, Proven, Scripture, Testing

DIDN’T SEE FIT

ROMANS 1:28

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper,”

I like that phrase in today’s verse, “did not see fit.” Sometimes I just don’t see fit to do certain things. Maybe I have no interest in it, like crocheting or swimming with sharks (yikes). Maybe I don’t have extra time so I “don’t see fit” to take on an extra task at the moment. As I pondered this verse, however, I discovered that the Greek word for this phrase has a much heavier meaning.

Paul uses the Greek verb dokimazo, which according to HELPS Word studies means “(to approve by testing)” and “is done to demonstrate what is good, i.e. passes the necessary test. Dokimázō does not focus on disproving something (i.e. to show it is bad).” That changes the whole meaning of the verse, doesn’t it? It was not that these individuals Paul has been discussing didn’t get around to acknowledging God. They did not allow God to prove His goodness to them.

APPLICATION

Dokimázō is used in Romans 12:2 which says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” I just love that verse. We show the goodness of God in His will. That’s not hard if we just submit to Him.

Over in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, Paul uses the word again. “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not intending to please people, but to please God, who examines our hearts.” Look at that again. God approves us and thereby gives us His gospel to share with others. What a blessing and responsibility.

We should be about showing the goodness of God every day. We should live out that Greek word used here, dokimázō. That should be our goal every day. Proving the goodness of God isn’t hard. Just show people what God has done in your life. Boy, I could talk for ages about that. Even through the hard times, God’s goodness shone through. Prove God good today!

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me!

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Desires, Fire, God's Will, Godliness, Scripture, Ungodly

OUT OF CONTROL

ROMANS 1:27

“and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

It seems every year we see reports of wildfires that burn out of control. Many of these are started by lightning strikes that ignite dry vegetation. When fueled by strong winds, these fires can burn hundreds, if not thousands of acres of land, including homes and businesses. Uncontrolled fires cause a lot of damage. So do uncontrolled passions, as we will see today.

Paul continues the thought began in verse 26. Both males and females were “burning” in their passions for the same sex. The resulting carnage from these choices, Paul says, is they were “receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” Let me repeat what I said yesterday. This sin confronted by Paul here is no worse than other sins we commit that go against God’s Word. All sin has consequences. Paul is truly addressing the fact that disregard of God’s truth leads to uncontrolled passions and desires that lead us astray.

APPLICATION

The Greek word used here for “burned” is only used here in the New Testament. It means to inflame deeply. The Topical Lexicon says this about ekkaiō. It “depicts a fierce, consuming flame of emotion rather than a literal fire. The picture is of desire ignited from within until it blazes out of control, suggesting both intensity and inevitability once the spark is lit.” Can’t you just see that wildfire?

I am reminded of James 3:6. “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.” The idea of the ungodly passions burning is the same. This is indeed a deceit of the evil one. He wants to distort the godly and make it ungodly.

For any fire to end, it must be confronted with a force to extinguish it. For ungodly passions to be extinguished, they must be confronted with truth. The washing with the water of the Word will put out these wrong fires. God’s Word will extinguish any sin in our lives if we will live by it. It has the power. It will purify us and wash away the stain of sin. Are you washing yourself with the Word today?

Father God, wash me today with the water of Your Word so that I can walk with You unashamed and holy.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Dishonoring, Glorify, Lies, Scripture, Sexuality, Truth

DISHONORING

ROMANS 1:26

“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature,”

This is a tough verse and one that easily ignites strong feelings, either way. But let me remind you that I did not write this. Nor did I pick it out of the air to write on today. In the course of taking Romans verse by verse, we had to come to this verse. So, without trying to enflame people, let me address God’s Word on this subject which must be talked about in light of His truth.

You really need to go back and reread verses 18-25 to remember who Paul is talking about here. This was a behavior prevalent in the pagan world. Even back then people were deceived regarding their sexuality. What He had intended from the beginning when He created man and woman was dishonored. That’s the word Paul uses here – degrading or dishonored. It’s the Greek word atimia which can be translated as dishonor, reproach, shame or vile. In this verse, Paul writes that it is a shame or dishonoring for women to turn the natural order upside down.

APPLICATION

Nothing has brought as much division in the body of Christ in the past few decades as this topic. Some churches embrace the freedom of sexuality. Others try to shame people into repentance. We must remember that the sin of rejecting God’s plan for sexuality is no bigger sin that adultery or drunkenness or…you feel in the blank. I know Jesus embraces those who practice this lifestyle but does not condone their behavior. You can truly hate the sin but love the sinner.

This word is also used in Romans 11:14 when Paul addresses the length of a man’s hair. “Does even nature itself not teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him,…” We don’t talk about this, do we? Paul is simply addressing the natural order compared to what has been perverted by man. We have to remember that our purpose is to bring glory to God. Anything that goes against that is dishonoring and shameful.

The main point of this verse today is not the particular sin Paul points out. It is the fact that God will not force us to comply. He will give us up to our passions and allow us to reap the consequences. He is able to spare us this suffering, but He will not make us do anything. What are you bucking God about right now? We all need to yield to His direction. We all can be more obedient in our walk with Him, can’t we?

O Lord, help me to not point fingers and accuse others of their sin while at the same time wallowing in my own.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Idols, Reverence, Scripture, Service, Worship

WHAT ARE YOU WORSHIPPING?

ROMANS 1:25

“For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Man, we can really worship the wrong things. Some of us worship our sports teams. As we enter into the Fall, football here in America is kicking off. It’s played by all ages and billions are spent to play and watch. Some people plan their whole lives around the game. Those same people wouldn’t put church on their schedule, though, or make time to pray and read God’s Word. Wrong worship!

Until I dug into this verse, I did not know the Greek word for “worshiped” was sebazomai, which only occurs here in this verse. It’s a different kind of word for worship. HELPS Word studies says it means, “to revere; be in awe by one’s own twisted definition of what deserves reverence.” It is clear that Paul is saying that even though these individuals are totally confused, they still have the desire to worship something. It’s just sad that it’s the wrong thing.

APPLICATION

So, my question for you today is – What are you worshipping? Well Carl, of course I am worshipping the Lord. What else would I worship? Oh really? Are you sure that is all? How about that job? Do work to live or live to work? So many of us can be so driven by our job ambitions that we put everything else on the back burner. Family time suffers. Church attendance is low on the priority list. What are we worshipping?

I receive a newsletter each month from “Voice of the Martyrs.” In it are stories of Christians under persecution for worshipping Jesus. They risk it all to serve the Lord. Many, if not most, have lost loved ones to terrorist who killed them just because they were Christians. And we can’t worship correctly? What a shame!

I want to ask you today to take a look at what you are worshipping? How much time are you spending with Jesus each day. Martin Luther once said, “I am so busy today I only have time to spend four hours in prayer.” How about you? We are told to worship in Spirit and in truth. Are we doing that?

Father, show me how to worship You in truth every day. Let me not waste time worshipping false gods in my life.  

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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