Study Desk

Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex with men and started having sex with other women.

People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking. And so they do what they should not do.

and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude, proud, and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They don't obey their parents,

God judges all who do such things, and we know his judgment is right.

And since you do the same things as those people you judge, surely you understand that God will punish you too. How could you think you would be able to escape his judgment?

God has been kind to you. He has been very patient, waiting for you to change. But you think nothing of his kindness. Maybe you don't understand that God is kind to you so that you will decide to change your lives.

But you are so stubborn! You refuse to change. So you are making your own punishment greater and greater. You will be punished on the day when God will show his anger. On that day everyone will see how right God is to judge people.

Some people live for God's glory, for honor, and for life that cannot be destroyed. They live for those things by always continuing to do good. God will give eternal life to them.

But others are selfish and refuse to follow truth. They follow evil. God will show his anger and punish them.

God judges everyone the same. It doesn't matter who they are.

Hearing the law does not make people right with God. They will be right before him only if they always do what the law says.

All this will happen on the day when God will judge people's secret thoughts through Jesus Christ. This is part of the Good News that I tell everyone.

What about you? You say you are a Jew. You trust in the law and proudly claim to be close to God.

You know what God wants you to do. And you know what is important, because you have learned the law.

You are so proud that you have God's law, but you bring shame to God by breaking his law.

As the Scriptures say, "People in other nations insult God because of you."

A true Jew is one who is a Jew inside. True circumcision is done in the heart. It is done by the Spirit, not by the written law. And anyone who is circumcised in the heart by the Spirit gets praise from God, not from people.

Yes, the Jews have many benefits. The most important one is this: God trusted the Jews with his teachings.

It is true that some Jews were not faithful to God. But will that stop God from doing what he promised?

No, even if everyone else is a liar, God will always do what he says. As the Scriptures say about him, "You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win when people accuse you."