Ephesians 5:5-8 "^[5] For this ye know, that no whore monger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ^[6] Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. ^[7] Be not ye therefore partakers with them. ^[8] For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:"

Colossians 3:5-7 "^[5] Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: ^[6] For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: ^[7] In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them."

Ephesians 2:1-5 "^[1] And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; ^[2] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: ^[3] Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. ^[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, ^[5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"

     Cross-referencing back to our Romans text we see that the "wrath of God" is revealed from heaven against the godlessness of man (this concept of "ungodlessness" being outlined in the above Ephesians and Colossians texts). Please note that the Children of Satan (those who are not under the sacrifice of Christ) are so closely identified with God's vengeance that they are identified with the adjective "orge" ("were by nature the children of wrath") in the Ephesians 2 text.

     It is certain that there is a hell (see the "Doctrine on Hell"), and that those who participate in the pleasures of this world apart from God in Christ will spend eternity in the same. The Unitarian/Universalists believe that God, since He is a Being of Love, will automatically send all to Heaven. God may be love, but He's also a God of "justice". Those who reject God's provision of salvation die as "children of wrath, and can only expect eternal punishment for their disobedience.

     "hold the truth in unrighteousness" is best translated "hold down the truth in unrighteousness". The Apostle Paul starts here to explain how God has revealed Himself to man, but man has ignored and throttled the truth of God by nature of their very unrighteousness.

     The Greek word for "is manifest" is "PHANEROS", which means "apparent, evident, known" and the Greek for "in them" is "AUTOIS", which means "in their hearts or conscience". Basically with these two interpretations we see that "the knowledge of God is known in each persons heart or conscience".

     Had Christ never come to the earth as Man, had He never walk and testified of our Heavenly Father; had the Father Himself not shown His power through numerous miracles and wonders, "even so, man would still be without excuse". God has, from the beginning of all time, revealed Himself through the Nature which He created. There is a definite design and purpose in all facets of nature that cry out for the existence of God. Scientists have, for years, been trying to disprove the existence of God by coming up with more and more increasingly "stupid theories". Yet all these theories fall when examined in the light of reason.

     Consider the "Nuclear Theory" of creation. Scientists propose that a dwarf star went nova, exploded, and by this explosion "threw together" our universe. "This theory is much harder to believe in than a belief in God." Imagine the delicate balance of our earth in relationship to the universe around it. Had the earth been a little closer to the sun there would be no polar ice caps, and because of that, no land mass. The earth would be covered with water (much like in the days of Noah). If the earth were but a little farther away from the sun we would live in one giant winter wonderland! But more likely, in either case, we wouldn't be alive at all!

     Consider, if you will, the position of the moon relative to the earth. If the moon were a little closer to our earth it's tidal pull would be astronomical. Waves would become tidal waves, shorelines would quickly erode and change. Farther away and there would be no tides, and without tidal flow no lower life forms to feed the seas inhabitants. The sun, moon, and earth are all perfectly balanced in harmony by our loving Creator.

     What about the "Evolutionary Theory of Life" on earth. This wild theory supposes that two non-life forms accidentally drifted together, created a chemical reaction, and, surprise, here comes life! It certainly takes more faith to believe in this hogwash than it does to believe in a loving Creator. The main reason so many grasp for the impossible to explain the formation of life on earth is because we are so finite. The scientist, when confronted with the idea of God, immediately asks "well, who made God". We, as finite creatures tied to time, cannot understand a Being who exists outside of Time, who creates because He loves. So our natural tendency is to look for a non-personal "first cause" rather than observe the universe around us and make a rational decision.

     Look at the universe, and see it majestically witness of God. A beam of light traveling at 700,000,000 miles per hour, will take approximately 100,000 years to travel across our universe alone. The starlight we see today with our naked eyes started traveling from it's point of origin when Abraham walked the earth as a boy! If the thickness of a sheet of standard paper represents the distance between the earth and it's sun, it would take a stack of paper 71 feet tall to represent the distance between the earth and the next nearest star! Each ear the earth travels in an orbit, 20,936,400,000 miles through space, and yet retains it's best position between itself and the sun. It took an Almighty Creator to design something so exacting, not some preposterous "Big Bang" theory.

     "Evolution" and the "Big Bang" theory require scientists adding astronomical amounts of time to the theories in order to make them more palatable. They believe that the ridiculousness of evolutionary thought is lessened if you say it took "billions" of years to happen. Yet nature itself witnesses against the extreme time frames of evolution.

     Every year 14,300,000 tons of dust from meteorites falls on both the earth and it's moon. The majority of the dust that hits earth is destroyed by the atmosphere, but the moon has no atmosphere to impede this weird rain. In 5 billion years the moon would have 137 feet of dust covering it's surface. Yet in the 70's manned space flight to the moon, Armstrong's footprint only went "one eighth of an inch" deep into dust. Using this as a basis for computing the age of the earth, the earth is really only about "10,000 years old". Scientifically the amount of dust on the moon "disproves evolutionary theory" (though you'll never hear about this on a television newscast).

     And so it has always been. Rather than watch and learn of God's existence through Nature, man has always turned to vain philosophies and theories to negate His existence. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools".

     "Fools" is the Greek "MORAINO", from which we get our English word "moron". Man, in an attempt to avoid the clear revelation of God, became a moron. "They knew God", "knew" being the Greek "GINOSKO' which means "experientially knew, knew by experiencing through the five senses", and yet turned moronic and ignored the reality of the Creator.

     In ignoring the true Creator man began to create his own god. "Why? Because even our conscious demands that there is a God." Even the most atheistic person will, when confronted with a life threatening situation, automatically turn "religious" and call on his Creator. The old saying, "There's no atheists in foxholes", is absolutely true. "Man must have something to worship."

     "But what or who do we worship if we have disposed of the True Creator God?" Well, how about worshipping man himself? Yet in mankind you can still see the design of the True Creator. So man sunk a little deeper and began to worship birds. Yet birds are marvels of design, perfectly balanced for flight. And as man continued to move farther away from God he moved to worshipping lower and lower levels of creation. Yet God's design was still there, witnessing that He is.

     As man moved farther away from God, eventually the Creator "gave them up", which is the Greek "PARADIDOMI", which means "to give into the hands of another, to give over into one's power or use. This is a judicial giving over". Our Father wants His creation to follow Him of their own accord. When man refuses, he cuts himself off from God's controls. It amazes me that any Church can condone homosexuality, or teach that homosexuality is an alternate lifestyle. Homosexuality is a mark that God "gave them up", not an alternate lifestyle. It is much like alcoholism, not a disease, not an alternate lifestyle, but a mark that this person has moved far beyond God's plan for his or her life.

     Here once again we see the term "gave them up" used by Paul. But this time it is the Greek "APHTHARTOS", which means "to judicially cast away".

     God didn't just "give up" on these people, He exiled them from His presence while they behaved as they did.

     Homosexuality is an exile from the human race, an exile from the presence of God. It is not an alternate lifestyle, but clearly "that which is against nature". It is, to all but the most thoughtless of people, something that is not natural. The Greek word "CHERIS" used here means "the natural sexual function".

     As a hetrosexual man or a woman we can give into our sexual feelings and say, "I choice not to follow God and commit adultery. It's fun to have sex with others!" That is, we have the choice. But I know that is abhorrant to God. So I choice not to do so. "People are not born homosexual" as so many would try to make you think today. "It's a choice, just as a hetrosexual choicing to commit or not commit adultery."

     Once God gave them up to their own evil will, the Apostle says that they "receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet". "recompense" is the Greek "ANTIMISTHIAN", which means "a reward or compensation for something". In other words, they got what they asked for.

     This brings us to the question of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases such as Herpes. Is AIDS or Herpes a judgment from God on the human race? "Well, no, not really." It is the consequence of doing what is not natural, the final result of a bad decision to ignore the Creator God. What about the innocent, those who did no wrong who suffer under AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases? Again, because mankind chose a poor path, mankind caused the innocent to suffer with the just.

     The Greek word "ASTORGES" is used for "without natural affection" and means, "without natural familial love". Mankind in his most reprobate seeks to remove every thought of God from his mind. Once man moves to this next level of depravity God "gave them over to a reprobate mind", that is, He judicially exiled them from all morality. "Reprobate" is the Greek "ADIKOS", which means "heathen, wicked, treacherous mind". The same type of people are mentioned in Titus, where we read:

Titus 1:10-16 "^[10] For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: ^[11] Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. ^[12] One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. ^[13] This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; ^[14] Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. ^[15] Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. ^[16] They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

     No one can do good works apart from God. And the farther from God you move, the farther from morality and decency you move also. (See the "Doctrine of Human Good" for more illustration on this point.)