Focus: The Unnatural Things!

Text: Rom.1:26

"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature."

We live in a world where nature has been invaded by an enemy who has introduced virtually everything that is unnatural. In other words, nature has been turned upside down. Nature as God made it has been swapped and twisted. The enemy has reversed nature and poisoned it. Genesis 3 bears that out. Morally speaking, Genesis 1 and 2 literally got destroyed in Genesis 3, courtesy of the enemy. Nature has since become the breeding ground of everything unnatural.

Let us consider some unnatural things:

*Sin is unnatural

Sin is taking root and bearing fruit in the natural world.

*Sickness is unnatural

Nature makes us healthy and possesses in it healing properties, but sickness entered the natural world through sin.

*Suffering is unnatural

The ground was cursed for man's sake. Since then man struggles and sweats to eat. There is so much hardship and trouble in this life. We have several billions of people in the world, but only the minutest percentage of them are actually wealthy. The rest of humanity struggles to make ends meet.

*Chemicalized foods, drinks and drugs are unnatural

Poisonous foods abound everywhere in our world. These foods are advertised and sold to us as normal foods, but they kill us slowly and sicken our bodies. Chemical foods cause cancer and other diseases in the process of time.

*Same sex marriage is unnatural

Apart from same sex marriages, lesbianism, gayness, bisexuality, and homosexuality are unnatural. Our text bears this truth out. Paul says further, "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is UNSEEMLY, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their ERROR which was meet" (Rom.1:27). 

These are expressions of evil, and evil is life in reverse. Spell 'evil' backwards, and you will have 'live.'

Evil is the opposite of life as God originated it. Paul continues, "Without understanding, covenantbreakers, WITHOUT NATURAL AFFECTION, implacable, unmerciful" (Rom.1:31). To Timothy, Paul writes, "Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good" (2Tim.3:3). It is unnatural for man to marry his fellow man or the other way round. The Lord Jesus Christ tells His audience, "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them MALE AND FEMALE…" (Mt.19:4). It is an error to have it otherwise. It is unseemly. It is artificial and unnatural.

Science cannot wish away or explain away this unnaturalness of life. God made man and His world, not science. Only God can decide how best life can be enjoyed.

The Lord Jesus Christ tells His hearers, "Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: BUT FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS NOT SO" (Mt.19:8). It is time to go back to the beginning. In the beginning nature functioned properly, but since Genesis 3, the unnatural sits at the helm of affairs. Our cosmetics are unduly chemicalized. Same goes for our foods and drinks.

Plenty of unnatural things have been introduced into our world. Prophets in the Old Testament declare, "And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD… Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones… For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously" (Zech.8:17; Mic.3:2; Mal.2:16). God hates evil in totality, and that includes "putting away" or divorce.

Do you know that what the Scripture calls a miracle is actually a reversal of the unnatural and a restoration of nature? Take a look at these words: dis-ease, dis-comfort, dis-couragement, dis-embody, etc.

God is good and the devil is evil.

Identify all the unnatural things in your life and begin to avoid them! The unnatural is dangerous to our God-given nature. The Lord Jesus Christ came into our nature to rectify, restore and dignify it. Through Christ we have become partakers of the divine nature. Let's pray and preach for humanity to recover its sanity and sanctity - and be saved!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter