Suppressing The Truth With An Ungrateful Heart

In his letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of “men who suppress [2722- “to hold back, detain, retain, keep from possession of”] the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident [5318- “open to sight, visible, manifest”] within them, for God made it evident [5319- “to make visible, clear, manifest”] to them.” (Romans 1:18-19) Once the conscience is awakened by the Holy Spirit, and the truth becomes evident within someone, the devil then begins to counterattack through our fleshly senses, with the intended purpose to have us exchange the revealed truth of God for his lies. (Romans 1:25) Once accepted as truth and indulged in, the conscience becomes dulled. After continuous resistance to the Holy Spirit’s wooing back to the way of truth, not thinking it worthwhile to acknowledge God any longer (Romans 1:28), their foolish heart becomes darkened, again, and they are given over by God to “degrading passions” and a “depraved mind to do those things which are not proper.” (Romans 1:26-32)

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote a description prophetically suited for our day;

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon [868- “to fall away, become faithless, to apostatize, to revolt, to desert”] the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons [i.e. “doctrines of demons” in other versions]. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared [2743- “to render insensitive, to mark by branding, to brand; medically, to cauterize”] as with a hot iron.” [See Titus 1:15-16 which speaks of those whose “mind and conscience are defiled.”]

(1 Timothy 4:1-2/NIV)

We are now in this “later time” when some have deserted their faith in Christ and are now following “things taught by demons.” The devil’s spokesmen are described as “hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” The definitions for the Greek word interpreted as “seared” is “to render insensitive, to mark by branding, to brand; medically, to cauterize.” This common brand of Christianity is marking out many as rebels in the camp. It might even be branded as “Seared Conscience Christianity,” one thriving with foolish virgins.

Paul goes on in his letter to Timothy, saying;

“They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving [2169- “gratitude, giving of thanks, thankfulness”] by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving [2169], because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”

(1 Timothy 4:3-5/NIV)

Thankfulness is described as “the feeling of appreciation and gratitude for something good that has happened or been received [like the right to become children of God (John 1:12)]. It is an emotional response to a favorable outcome or benefit, often involving a recognition of kindness, and generosity…” The hypocritical liars Paul is warning us against are those in the church whose hearts are not one of gratitude, or thankfulness for what God had done in their lives, revealing Himself and His way of salvation to them. Instead, confessing to be wise (i.e. possessing a “doctorate of divinity” pasted on the wall), they have become fools. This is the way of the foolish virgins who, after turning to Christ now walk according to their fallen natures (i.e. the flesh), rejecting the lordship of Jesus Christ over them, causing them to be given over to the devil to do his will (2 Timothy 2:25-26). They no longer possess a heart of gratitude toward the Lord and His salvation process in their lives. Instead, they are self-glorifying shepherds that are fleecing the flock for personal notoriety and gain.

“In the Bible, gratitude is a posture of recognizing and appreciating God's goodness, even in difficult times, which is expressed through worship, praise, and thanks. It involves acknowledging God as the source of all good things and is an act of obedience and a recognition of His faithfulness. It is not dependent on life's circumstances but is a response to God's character and His ultimate gift of salvation…”

The Thank Offering

(This is taken from the Bible study God Always Prepares A Place Ahead Of Time For His People.)

“In the Bible, a thank offering was a voluntary, peace offering made out of gratitude for God's goodness. It involved both a meat sacrifice and specially prepared breads, and it was unique because the offerer, along with their family, the priests, and the poor, would eat a portion of it the same day it was offered as a communal meal. The offering was an expression of thanks and joy for blessings, distinct from other sacrifices meant for atonement.

Key aspects of a thank offering:

• Voluntary and spontaneous: It was not a required daily or regular sacrifice, but was offered when the occasion arose from the offerer's own heart and gratitude.

• A communal meal: The act included a celebratory feast where the person, their family, the priests, and the needy shared the meat of the sacrifice.

• Made with specific breads: In addition to the animal sacrifice, the offerer presented unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers brushed with oil, and leavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil.

• Eaten the same day: The law specified that the meat of the thank offering must be eaten on the day it was offered, with none left until the next morning.

• A sacrifice of praise: Unlike other sacrifices, the primary purpose of the thank offering was not atonement but to express a joyful and thankful heart for God's provision.

• A New Testament parallel: The New Testament concept of a thank offering is described as a spiritual sacrifice of praise, specifically "the fruit of our lips" and continual thanksgiving to God through Jesus Christ.”

Acknowledging God (Romans 1:28)

“In the Bible, to ‘acknowledge’ means to recognize, confess, and affirm the truth of God's existence, sovereignty, and authority in all aspects of life, not just with mere awareness, but through submission [i.e. lordship], gratitude [i.e. thankfulness], and living according to His will. This involves confessing faith in Christ, living in a way that brings Him glory, admitting your own sin, and valuing others as God values them.”

In his book of Proverbs, Solomon wrote of the need for acknowledging God in order to have His guidance in your life, and even for the healing of the body;

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge [3045- “to know, to recognize, to consider”] Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing [7500- “a cure”] to your body and refreshment to your bones.”

(Proverbs 3:5-8/NASU)

Much of modern Christianity now runs on its own ways, without acknowledging His ways (see Isaiah 55:8-9). Unless we confess our sin against the Lord, acknowledging our self-glorifying ways, there will not be healing, or reviving in that portion of the body of Christ during the final outpouring of the Holy Spirit (see the Bible study Spiritual Orthopedics). Only those who admit their prideful sin against the Lord will be made ready, as a spotless bride, for His return. (For more on acknowledging God, see Matthew 10:32, 2 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 John 4:1-3, 2 John 7, and Revelation 3:5, 9.)

Back in Romans, chapter one, Paul says in regards to those who know God but have “suppressed the truth in unrighteousness” (v.18);

“For although they knew [1097- “to come to know, recognize, to understand completely”] God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks [2168- “to be grateful, to express gratitude (towards), to feel thankful, give thanks”] to Him, but their thinking became futile [3154- “to become foolish; i.e. (morally) wicked or (specifically) idolatrous”] and their foolish hearts [2588- “the soul or mind, the middle”] were darkened [i.e. they became a foolish virgin!]. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles [i.e. idolatry]. Therefore God gave them over [3860- “to surrender; to give into the hands of another, into their power or use”] in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen.”

(Romans 1:21-25/NIV)

You will never hear the phrase “knew God” when speaking in reference to someone who has never turned to the Lord. Paul is referring to those who have had their conscience awakened by the Holy Spirit after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They did not glorify God in their life, giving honor to Him through an obedient heart, thereby revealing the light of His glory to the world. Through their disobedience, they blocked His light from coming through them, receiving His grace shown toward them in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). In fact, as Jesus taught, the light in them has become darkness (Luke 11:33-36). Because they refused to repent, acknowledging God as their Lord, they were given over to the power of the devil. Having once been given eyes to see and ears to hear, they no longer possess either.

Given Over To The Lie

Paul also describes these unfaithful followers of Christ in the great falling away from Him right before the day of His wrath, and our being gathered together unto Him, in his second letter to the church of the Thessalonians. He says to them;

“Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure [3563- “mind, thought, reason, understanding, discernment”] or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy [646- “defection from truth, a falling away”] comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship [i.e. self-glorification], so that he takes his seat in the temple of God [WE are His temple], displaying himself as being God.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-4/NASU)

This anti-Christ spirit is at work this very moment within the hearts of the “sons of destruction” in the body of Christ. They have taken a seat within their hearts on the rightful throne of God, manifesting themselves as God. Without repentance, it will cost them their place at the Lord’s table. They will be cast out of His kingdom into a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (see Matthew 8:11-12, 13:41-42, 22:11-14, 24:48-51, 25:24-30).

Paul goes on in his exhortation to the Thessalonians, saying;

“…the work of Satan [will be] displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion [4106- “a wandering, a straying about, error, wrong opinion”] so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:9-12/NIV)

“In the Bible, ‘delusion’ primarily refers to being deceived and believing falsehoods as a result of rejecting God's truth. It is portrayed as a state of spiritual deception that is both a consequence of human choice and a form of divine judgment, particularly in the context of 2 Thessalonians 2:11, where it is described as a ‘strong delusion’ that God will send upon those who ‘had pleasure in unrighteousness’ and did not love the truth.”

Remember, this passage is all about those who will fall away from Christ at the end of this age, defecting from Him. You may say, based on Romans 8:1-4, which we discussed earlier, “This cannot possibly be referring to a Christian because we are no longer under condemnation!” Verse one in the KJV and NKJV of the Bible adds that there is no condemnation for those “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” This has caused many arguments, and is based on early versus later Greek manuscripts. Both, though, have it in verse four which says; “that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” (NIV) A Christian makes the choice to either live according to the sinful nature, or according to the Spirit. A continued walk according to the sinful nature is one that will eventually bring God’s condemnation on you.

This condemnation of a Christian that defects from Christ without repentance is also seen in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. While discussing the parameters of communion, he warns us, saying;

“But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” [Also see 1 Timothy 5:11-12, and Romans 2:1-3 and James 5:9 in the KJV and NKJV which use the same Greek for “condemned,” sometimes interpreted as “judged.”]

(1 Corinthians 11:31-32/NASU)

The ungrateful, unthankful, Christian lives according to their sinful nature, fulfilling its evil desires with no desire to get set free. They reject God’s summon to consecrate themselves at the end of this age which, if walked in, will prepare their hearts by faith for His return. Having revealed themselves as being their own god, they will then receive from the Lord the “powerful delusion” that will cause them to believe “the lie.” It will result in their being condemned by Him, thrown out of His kingdom into a very dark place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (see Hebrews 10:26-31). I believe this place will be the earth that the faithful Christians have been raptured from, resulting in the free for all of the devil on all its inhabitants (see the Bible study Outer Darkness).

God’s Law Written On The Hearts Of Men

Paul says the consciousness of the law of God, of right and wrong, is seen within Gentiles who were not given the law;

“For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively [5449- “nature, i.e. natural sense”] the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

(Romans 2:14-16/NASU)

As he did in the beginning with Eve, questioning “the law of God” (Genesis 3:1-7), the devil’s intent is to change God’s law inscribed upon our hearts to his lies of deception, with the goal of a complete dulling of our God consciousness (i.e. our moral compass), causing us to be “given over” by God to his power and authority (Romans 1:24-32), resulting in a “seared conscience” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). The definition of the Greek word interpreted into English as “given over” in Romans 1:24, 26, and 28 is “to give into the hands of another, to give over to one’s power or use, to permit, allow.” The “other” in this case is the devil. He is the only “other” unseen authority besides God.

In the battle in the unseen world for control of the law of the mind within mankind, Christian’s are the prize target of the devil. To capture their minds after turning to Christ through deception is to block God’s influencing light of life through them to the lost souls in the world. Once their “foolish heart” has been “darkened” through adherence to his lies (Romans 1:21), the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ becomes hidden from those who are perishing (see Matthew 6:22-23, and the Bible study The Light Becoming Darkness).

Doctrines Of Partiality

In chapter two of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome, he refers to the impartiality of God in rendering judgment, that they too can be given over to their sin if they continue in stubbornness without repentance;

“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS [Psalm 62:12]: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”

(Romans 2:5-13/NASU)

This passage is loaded with the truth that can set you and I free from the destructive powers of sin, if we will adhere to what the Spirit is saying through it. Paul makes no distinction between God’s people, and the rest, saying, “there is no partiality with God.” The church, though, through the deception of the devil, has come up with what I refer to as “Doctrines of Partiality,” also referred to by Paul in his letter to Timothy as “doctrines of demons” introduced through “deceitful spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). The “once saved always saved” or “eternal security” doctrine of salvation says the exact opposite of what Paul just said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It states that no matter what you “do,” you can never lose your right of salvation, that God will show you partiality in His judgment. There is much depth to this, with many New Testament confirmations, but the bottom line is that the Holy Spirit is very patient with His children, even confronting and disciplining when necessary, but He has a line of no return that we must be aware of so as to keep us holding fast to the Lord, through the abiding fear of the Lord (see 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1, Hebrews 10:26-31).

Paul concludes his exhortation in Romans, chapter two, saying;

“But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU’…

(Romans 2:17-24/NASU)

Many in the church today act in the same manner. The evidence of this is seen by the great increase of darkness in our nation. Light dispels the darkness. Christians are the bearer of God’s light to those living in darkness. When we walk with a disobedient heart toward the Lord, we cause His light to become dim. If not halted through repentance, eventually it will go out, and so will we from the presence of God, unable to see His way of escape in these last moments of this age. Obedience is the key.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – See the note below.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer [1854- “outside, without”] man is decaying [1311- “to rot thoroughly, to change for the worse, to corrupt, to destroy”], yet our inner man [2080- “inside, within”] is being renewed [341- “to renovate, to cause to grow up, to make new”] day by day.

17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

18 while we look not at the things which are seen [the law of sin which is meant to turn the law of our mind against God’s law], but at the things which are not seen [the law of God in the inner man]; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

NASU

Paul says that our “outer man is decaying” (“to rot thoroughly, to change for the worse, to corrupt, to destroy”), but our “inner man,” through the power of the Holy Spirit, “is being renewed (“to renovate, to cause to grow up, to make new”) day by day.” The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to strengthen us with power in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16). But this right of an exchanged life can be cut off through continuous rebellion against the will of the Lord without repentance after turning to Christ (see 1 Timothy 4:1-2, Hebrews 10:26-27). We learn as Christians, then, the significance of cutting off that which is feeding, and strengthening the “law of the mind” unto death through our sinful, fleshly senses (i.e. the law of sin). Paul said, “For God, whom I serve [3000- “to serve, render religious homage, to worship”] in my spirit…” (Romans 1:9) He looked inward, where the Spirit of God resided in his spirit, revealing His law to Him, rather than the world which only serves to feed the flesh through the law of sin, resulting in death, separated from God’s life.