Romans 1:17-32 KJV
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
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:
27 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.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

I love this one passage in scripture perhaps because it should shows God unconditional love for man in the since he is willing gave up his word to allow man to have it his way. You go to fast food hamburger joint and they will tell you, "you can put anything on your hamburger but there is a price". Yet we look at what God turns the world over to before salvation, and we realize we got the hamburger we wanted with the only price being the wrath of God in the end. Yet we find that one burger joint you can choose what you want, but there is no substitutions but the one listed. God gave everyone a choice to be a child of God or children of the world and the devil. You can be children of the world and not the devil, without being children of God, but it has the same cost as the devil. It is those that have yet to choose God that have the right to be children of God, if they will leave their sin behind and turn to Jesus. He is our real sacrifice for our sin. We sacrifice his word to pay a price of what His life for ours. That is why we give our life to him, to live according to his word, according to his will and ways. The blood covered our sin from Christ beating, but the cross buried our sin, and we were raised up into newness of life. Giving opportunity to live for Jesus because of his free gift to us. Yet some still choose sin saying I am covered by the blood of Jesus and it makes sin okay. No it never made sin okay.

In Romans 1 it does two things it shows the choice of believer and the choice of unbelieve. Once we receive Christ as Savior as truth and ask Jesus into our life, we can not sit him on the shelf or hang a picture of Jesus on the wall just to declare our faith, but we are to hang our faith on our shoulders. To hang our belief there? The Jewish Priest hung their phlacteries/righteousness of faith on their shoulders and put them on their forehead a little metal case with the laws on them. The laws were to be in their heart and in their heads. The priest that wore it walk in the city to remind the people with their garment of the word of God and a symbol of righteousness. Yet a bad priest may wear the garment but not the word in their heart or mind. Though we can not see these garments of righteousness ourself, it means we might know by God's Spirit the believer, but we do not know by a garment their faith.

The choice after the work of the cross must come, with understanding we already ask him to enter our hearts, when we dedicate our life to him it means we surrender all to him. Most do not understand it at first what surrender all means, or desire to give back is because Christ has enriched our hearts and our life. Some will say salvation is all it took to desire to serve Christ and others might say it was a journey. Salvation begins with receiving the works of Christ on the cross for one's sin, but the surrender of all to him might come during the journey, part of growth, meaning, one understands the gift that God has given and one desires to go forward in faith in him and to share it, as the Spirit leads in submission to his will in one's life.

The word never changed but the message of the cross made the word even more alive in our hearts, because it cost something for our sins and sin of the world. Christ beating and death prove our need to lay down the world's word and pick up the cross of Jesus through death of word of the world to life through Christ Jesus. The world can be in opposition to faith, but does that include disobedience to the law of the land? We are talking about spiritual war, of laying down the world cry of "God will not send you to hell, or God will not punish you if you sin. God chastiment only for really bad people, and I can barter my way into heaven with good works". That just to name a few that the world would like to tell you. You can not go to fast food and have it your way, you got to dine on the fancy feast of God's word. Not the brand of cat food, but the wine and bread of eternal life through Christ Jesus cross. And we wear it on our hearts where the Holy Spirit inscribed it, and on our minds so we can follow God's Spirit through the righteousness through faith in Christ Jesus. We wear the righteousness of faith on our breastplate and our shoulders. Not physically seen but hyper force field of protection on the believer. That is the Holy Spirit.

The world began with God and the world crucified the word of God to fulfill what they thought were their desires and wants, in contradiction to God's command, and even created their own idols making their own rules to live by and to sacrifice normal things of this world to lust of things not of God's design. Yet when we say I love Jesus are we picking up the weight of the world, or wearing a light yoke of faith, and allow the Holy Spirit to direct our path, that knowing when we stray we got a Shepherd that loves us still and will come not only searching for us but picking us up and putting us on his shoulders and carry back to the sheep fold of faith in him. He does not like those wolves tearing you apart. He desires to protect us with his Word/Jesus/salvation plan and His Spirit.

Dear Heavenly Father, hold us on your shoulders, and help us to know you carried our cross for your honor and glory, but also to heal us of our sins. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: John 1:11-13 KJV
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Luke 15:4-5 KJV
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Matthew 23:5 KJV
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,