Imago Dei: Temples of God - Romans 2:14-16

In this conclusion to our series about The Image of God, we engage in our most challenging conversation yet. Opening up to Romans 2 and 1 Corinthians 6, we hear from God's Word on how the First Century Church approached a culture that seemed impossibly far from God and egregiously steeped in sin. The Roman Empire had built its institutions on and around a brand of immorality that would make even the most worldly person of our day blush. It seemed highly unlikely that the Church would ever make an impact on such a generation... However, the Apostle Paul appeals to the conscience within ever human as the basis for hope and the reason to spread the Gospel of Christ. He confronts Jewish Christians who were quick to judge pagans, by calling them to an even higher standard. Paul believed and taught that the only way the Church was going to change the world was by holding to and modeling its convictions. It couldn't wring its hands at some things while apologizing for others - especially when it came to morality and sexual ethics. Paul introduced a radical sexual ethic to the world, that would have laughable to most pagans, yet overtime it was adherence to this non-negotiable standard that eventually changed the world. All of these years later, the moral decay of our generation isn't new and isn't any worse than that of the Roman Empire's. The Church is quick to point the finger to the most heinous examples of immorality, but overtime has accepted and justified many. If we are going to change our world like the First Century Church changed its, we must embrace the teachings of the New Testament. Our Moral Authority is the only hope for our world's moral purity. In this message we talk about our conscience's sensitivity to God's truth, the true meaning behind the New Testament's teaching on gender and sexuality, and learn what it means to say that our bodies are Temples of God.