No one knew everything that God approved/disapproved until He gave us His word. Be real. Izzy
Being real has nothing to do with question. It is not an answer -- only the _expression_ of bias with no real purpose in evidence. The Gentile in Romans 2 was without a legal statement. How does he know of sodomy?
John
Romans 2 is referring to the fact that we all have been born with a God-given conscience. (A position that Lance, at least, will take umbrage with.) However, most people have developed a seared conscience due to their own sin. Please note my evidence here: There are âChristiansâ that you and I encounter every day who HAVE Godâs word right in front of them and still canât tell right from wrong. Or, worse yet, they read it and say Thatâs just Old Testament; it doesnât count anymore. Izzy
The conscience is an emotional trigger -- not a sub-conscious body of divine knowing. it is a trigger. It only sounds the alarm of guilt when we do something, anything, that is seen to violate what we hold to be morally true. It can be shaped by the bibilical message, by superstitions, by misconcepts of the written message, by accepted but false teachings of men and so on. In Romans 2, the pagan Gentile has his instincts AND his conscience. Both work together to present the possibility of salvation through Jesus Christ (who died for him, the Jews, pagan America, Communist China and the cooks in the cafeteria where I attended college). The text reads ".. either excusing or accusing ...." His salvation has already been procured for him by Another. The way he responds to the world in which he lives is what matters as God looks to him on judgment day through the sacrifice of Christ.
JD
