God gave them over

In conjunction with our first article, we need to understand that God will not make mankind follow Him. Our Father has given us more than enough evidence to prove His He does exist, meaning we are without excuse (Rom. 1:20). Still, our Creator leaves the choice in our hands via freewill. If people want to reject Him, so be it.

Having said that, consider Romans 1:28: “even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.”  This explains why so many think the gospel message is foolish. Those who reject His word are professing to be wise, but they are fools (Rom. 1:22). The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (I Cor. 1:27).

So what happens when someone develops a debased mind? The most dangerous result is that they become convinced that certain falsehoods are truth. For example, some are convinced that demon possession exists today. As Paul mentioned to the Roman brethren, people convinced themselves that sexual immorality was okay (Rom. 1:26-27). This is the result of a natural progression that starts when someone changes the true and living God into idols made by the hands of men (Rom. 1:23).

If someone develops a debased mind, can they break free of this and come back to the Lord? Yes! This is why we are redeemed by the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7). It means we are brought back. The fact that we all have sinned (Rom. 3:23) means we all chose to reject God and instead do what we wanted. Those who choose to obey the gospel change their minds – that is what repentance means. We then put off that old man and put on the new man in baptism (Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-7). The debased mind has been put aside for a pure one.

Knowing all of this help encourage us to spread the good news. Let us never think that certain people are “made evil” or that the devil has taken away their free will to the degree that they cannot come back to the Lord. Those who do not obey are those who do not want to – it is as simple as that.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Chuck                              

Look at Barabbas and look at us!

There are many powerful lessons surrounding the death of Jesus Christ, but one great lesson we must not overlook is that of Barabbas. To appease the Jews during the annual feast, Pilate would release a single prisoner that the Jews requested (Mark 15:6). The Roman ruler was hoping to release Jesus due to His innocence, but the chief priests stirred up the crowd to request the release of Barabbas (Mark 15:11).  As a result, Jesus was crucified and Barabbas was set free (Mark 15:15).

What do we know about this prisoner who skirted his deserved punishment? According to the scriptures, this man was part of a rebellion that resulted in murder (Mark 15:7).  We are told that this man was a notorious prisoner (Matt. 15:16).  It is also clear that many knew this man and his reputation as Pilate thought the crowd would want this evil person remain in prison and have Jesus released. Unfortunately, the guilty person was freed and the innocent Christ was crucified (Matt. 27:21-26).

As much as this whole incident should bother us, it should also hit home. In a sense, each of us is Barabbas. By that I mean, Barabbas was a sinner yet Jesus went to the cross for him. My wording was intentional. You might think I should have said, Jesus went to the cross instead of him. That is also true, but Jesus died for everyone (John 3:16).

How should Barabbas have looked at Jesus? This is interesting. After all, he would not have been set free that day if not for Christ. He did not respect the law or the lives of others. Same as the evil people of our day, most guilty people during Biblical times would do everything they could to avoid punishment if they were caught breaking the law. We see no evidence that Barabbas was concerned about the false accusations made against Jesus – he only seemed interested in his own freedom at any cost. Regardless of whether Barabbas changed his ways after being freed and learning about Jesus, we need to recognize this lesson for ourselves.

All people are lost in sin (Rom. 3:23). We might not literally be behind bars for committing our sins, but we are still in a state of spiritual bondage (Gal. 4:3). Therefore, those who have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ are free to roam on earth, but they are on the run from God. However, there will be a day of reckoning (II Cor. 5:10).

Did Barabbas turn his life around after receiving a second chance? The Bible does not tell us. Statistics show that most people who are a prisoner today will return to prison in the future. If a person who is punished for his crimes is unlikely to learn his lesson, then it seems logical that a man like Barabbas who did not receive his full punishment will also be likely to continue to break the law.

What about us though? What makes us so different from Barabbas? He rebelled and murdered – are we guilty of the same? Yes! When we sinned, it was like we crucified Christ (Heb. 6:6). Any transgression can be called a rebellion against the will of God. How many of us look at Jesus and consider His sacrifice personally? For all intents and purposes, we are all Barabbas. We deserve to die in our sins without any hope. Then, here come a Savior who pays our debt without being asked! It was not something we earned or deserved (Rom. 5:6-11).

As we look to the cross, we need to understand that Jesus did what we could not do for ourselves. We use the expression “paying one’s debt to society.” Sin does not work this way – the only pay for the debt of our sins was through an innocent person – Christ (II Cor. 5:21). In other words, He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Let’s look at Barabbas, then look at ourselves and learn.

   Chuck