October 24

Who hold the truth in unrighteousness. - Romans 1:18.

THAT is, while the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the ungodly, against all the unrighteous, and in a way of enhancement and aggravation, those especially are peculiarly obnoxious to it who “hold the truth in unrighteousness.” It more intensely burns against those who act against their knowledge, having a convinced judgment, but being wedded to a wicked life. And there is far more of this to be found than is commonly imagined.

The heathen themselves never lived up to the light they possessed, never practised what they knew. This is the charge brought against them by the Apostle in this chapter: “When they knew God they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful.” It was not otherwise with the Jews; they never practised what they knew: to whom Paul says, in the next chapter, “Behold thou art called a Jew, and restest on the law, and makest thy boast in God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law. Thou that teachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?”

There is not a man in any country under heaven, or pertaining to any religious sect, that lives up to his own principles; he does many things he knows to be wrong, and he omits many things he knows to be right. The plea of ignorance, therefore, can only be admitted in the case of idiots. All the rest are of those, as Job says, who “rebel against the light,” not only rebelling against that which they might know, but that which they do know. The original is, and so it is strongly rendered, “who imprison the truth in unrighteousness.” That is, truth would speak in them, and struggles to be heard, but it is restrained, confined, and imprisoned. Fashion, public opinion, the love of fame, the love of money, the love of pleasure, these are the jail wardens, these are the jailers, these confine the truth in prison.

Saul knew it belonged not to him to offer sacrifice; his conscience told him, therefore, that it was a sin. He struggled hard, but he yielded: I “forced my self,” said he, and mark the expression, there was difficulty in the case, “and offered a burnt offering.” Herod knew John; he revered him, he considered him a just man, he knew the murder of him would be a most unjust thing-his conscience told him so, and he was very sorry when the desire of Herodias was expressed, but he overcame it, though he struggled hard-but his regard for his own word overpowered the word of God. It was the same with Pilate. Pilate was persuaded of our Saviour’s innocence, and the persuasion was increased by the dream which his wife had in the morning; and when she informed him of it, he found a struggle within him, and he forced himself, and condemned him whom he knew to be innocent.

Oh, how many of those who are born in a land of light, who have attended at the family altar and who have from children “known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make them wise unto salvation”-who know such and such things to be sins and yet they practise them, know such and such things to be duties, and yet neglect them, are convinced, but not converted-with what accusing and condemning consciences they are forcing themselves on, themselves and God only know. “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is a sin;” and our Saviour says: “The servant who knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. For unto whom much is given, of him shall much be required.”