#37. Romans 1:28-31 – The Hebrew Crash Course Concerning Unrighteousness, Part 6

Part II: The Conduct of Humanity

And according as they do not test God, to have Him in recognition, God gives them over to a disqualified mind, to do that which is not befitting, filled with all injustice, wickedness, evil, greed, distended with envy, murder, strife, guile, depravity, whisperers, vilifiers, detesters of God, outragers, proud, ostentatious, inventors of evil things, stubborn to parents, unintelligent, perfidious, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful…

Resh/Without Natural Affection

We are now at the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (about time, right?) This letter is “resh,” and makes the ‘r’ sound. In Paleo-Hebrew, this letter is represented by a “head.”

…A head.

*sigh* I can’t see any of you, so I assume that all of my nerdy scripture friends just went, “OH! OH! ISEEIT ISEEWHATHESGETTINGAT!”

This letter clearly and definitively connects to Christ in regards to His Headship – He is the Head of the body of Christ (Col. 1:18.) This is the glorious reality of His journey, and our journey; peace is established, on both ends. Love is understood and bountifully appreciated. The Christ is complete – both Head and body alike.

For Jesus Christ, this journey began with the “bet,” where He was shown as the dwelling place of God. This is great and all, but… well, come on. What do you do with that, really? You might have love, but who do you share that with?

This is the point of the evangel – in simple terms, a resolution to the issue presented in Gen. 2:18 – that it is not good for the human to be alone. After demonstrating the flesh’s failure through Israel (which we have been considering, and will especially note when we reach Rom. 2:17,) Christ anoints Paul as the first member of the body of Christ, blinding him from His ascended seat at the right of God, severing him permanently (Acts 9:1-6.) This set into motion a chain of realization among God’s chosen, which will be fulfilled when the final member of the body of Christ is called. When this occurs, then this letter, “resh,” will be completely fulfilled. The Christ will have His entire body, and a picture of God’s grace and peace will be commended by all.

On an individual level, our journey began in Romans 1:1, and ends with Philemon’s final words. We are shown man’s depravity in these verses, and appreciate that this depravity is used to contrast the evangel which God is revealing to us. The “head” drives the body, yes, but there must be a body to drive! As our journey is perfected, and more of us are called, the body (figuratively) grows into maturity, and we are made known as the complement of the Christ (Eph. 1:21-23.)

We may pair the “qof” and the “resh” together. The goal of the evangel is for us to be lifted to transcendent spiritual heights, having been made holy and flawless in His sight (Eph. 2:10, 5:25-27, Phil. 2:12-15, etc.) Our ascension, in being set apart, ends when we are at the head of the universe, with our Head (Eph. 2:5-6.) When this occurs, the God of the universe will finally have a proper, completed Image, a Christ, over all creation (Rom. 8:28-39, Eph. 1:15-23.) This will initiate the greatest reconciliation – so great, the thought is nearly incomprehensible in our various writings (2 Cor. 5:19-21, Col. 1:15-20.)

This letter’s foil is found in Paul’s twentieth observation: we are without natural affection. That Paul lists a lack of natural affection as a problem here highlights that it is problematic to God (obvious, I know.) Love is, without a doubt, the core of the story. It is love which brought Jesus to Golgotha. It is love which gave Him a proper burial. And it is love which brought Him back from an unruly and undeserved murder. We see the burial at the hands of Jesus’ family treated with meticulous care (a kingly tomb in Matt. 27:57-61, reverence in Mark 15:42-47, a maternal pain and silence in Luke 23:50-56, and purposeful beauty in John 19:38-42.) This love is front and center to Deity, and as such, the Christ being seated at the head of the universe indicates that love now stands front and center to all creation.

This is also true of the evangel which will be unfolded in Romans 3:21-26. It is sown in love, and rooted in grace. Its design resolves this ignorance to our natural affections (Rom. 5:5,) humanizing us. The evangel shows the connection, the affection, that the Head has for His body, irrespective of act. Apart from the evangel, shown in Christ’s affection, we have no image of natural affection to appreciate.

With Sin running the show, love is choked beneath irreverence. The consummation of man’s journey receives no happy “head” imagery. This journey consummates with the inherent decimation of man’s conscience. Our “bet” is wickedness. We commit poor acts out of misery, as we are Sin’s dwelling place. In our decay, we are considered the most irreverent race – at our lowest, dwelling upon Sin’s throne.

That’s right – we are, in the flesh, seated at the right of Sin, a crown of wickedness around our temples. These aching joints and flaking skin are the proof. Constant hunger is our job. Perpetual watering is our duty. Making families. Never resting. We are enslaved to this flesh – caring for it, catering to its every need until it rewards us with death.

Yes – the “head” of man’s journey is Death (Rom. 5:12.)

This is indeed serious; affection makes the difference between a self-absorbed life and a rich, fulfilling one. As we’ve covered, to be “natural” is the original intent God has (and continues to have) for mankind: to fellowship in love. He is showing, now, that He is placing Sin in us and giving us over to it, that we inevitably come to appreciate Christ as a righteous handling of an insubordinate creation: love. This will effectually teach all of creation, from now until Judgment Day (for most, on Judgment Day,) the theme of the story.

Yet our perfidious acts diminish our returns – this theme becomes harder and harder to perceive in mankind by the day. There is nothing about the flesh’s decay which should indicate a loving or caring mindset; it cares about itself, and then dies. The “resh” shows us that the central theme, Love, is man’s destination – and to be without it is truly heartbreaking.

Shin/Implacable

We are now considering the final pair of letters, starting with the “shin.” This letter makes an ‘s’ or a ‘sh’ sound, depending on whether we arbitrarily place a little dot on the top left or top right side of the letter (you can try to pick a lane, but you’re going to get looks from everyone regardless, so wing it at your own discretion.)

The “shin” represents flames of fire. You can see this in its three-pronged magnificence. This is a powerful letter, found on the side of each Hebrew prayer box, as well as the box on the doorpost of Jewish households. It is meant to represent the first letter in the word “Shaddai,” as in “El-Shaddai,” or “El-Who-Suffices.”

What does it mean in regards to the narrative we’ve been considering? Well, with the accomplishment of the journey of the Christ, and our ascension to the heights, the final seven years of Revelation can commence – a fiery, yet perfect, judgment to be unleashed upon the earth. This will be followed by the promised millennial kingdom, where faithful Israel will finally recognize God as El Supreme – a sufficient Ruler.

After 1,000 years, the perfect kingdom will also be consummated with flames (Rev. 20:9.) And, the Day of Judgment carries with it a death penalty, which is figuratively titled a “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:14-15.)

These fires forge creation, until they are just right. When all are righted, they will see their fulfillment at the hands of Yahweh – the El Shaddai. Christ will be able to unify all through this One (1 Cor. 15:24-27.)

This is contrasted with Paul’s twenty-first heartache: implacable. This is, literally, an inability to be placated with peace offerings. Mankind’s attitude toward God is implacable – thus, the perpetuity of the situation. How can we become placated if we irrationally reject peace, such as we did during Christ’s sojourn? Mediation is only a success if both sides are satisfied, and as of now we are too immature, spiritually, to grasp the greatest act of mediation ever to exist.

Yes – we remain unsatisfied. No matter what He does, El does not suffice, according to our flesh. Rescuing Israel out of Egypt at their request? Does not suffice. Providing them victories in combat? Does not suffice. Large territorial domination over the earth? Does not suffice. Sending them their promised Messiah, fulfilling prophecies concerning their future? Does not suffice. Indeed, no matter what we do, we simply do not find satisfaction in what God does do, simply because our minds are trained to concern ourselves with what He doesn’t, and criticize in any capacity through it.

Tav/Unmerciful

We have arrived at the final Hebrew letter: the “tav.” The “tav” makes the ‘t’ sound. In Paleo-Hebrew, the letter is represented as a cross. The letter itself means a sign or a seal. One of the most prominent Hebrew words that begin with this letter is torah, or “law.” Indeed, the cross as a whole represents the fulfilment of the law (Matt. 5:17, Rom. 3:31,) while the seal of circumcision was a type of the faithful effect of the cross (Rom. 4:1-16.)

This is the final letter, and thus signifies God’s end goal with all creation. Another word which begins with the letter “tav” is tikwah, or “expectation.” Our expectation, here, is that God finishes the story in such a way that properly resolves the conflict that plagued its middle act. If even one plot-line is left unresolved, then God is not worthy of the name, for His story would be imperfect.

We find, in Colossians 1:19-20, the verse which most clearly indicates to us the end of this story, as well as the cross’ role in accomplishing that end–

In [Christ] the entire complement delights to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens.

Yes, Christ is reconciling all to God. God is making peace through the blood of Christ’s cross. The “tav,” the cross, is the end of the story, because it dictated the end – a reconciling of every creature in God’s universe. This is how the story will end, and Paul is going to demonstrate the method by which this will come about in Romans, where He explains to us the grand effect of the cross of Christ, in the evangel of God.

We find this pattern in another prophetic passage, being the furthest-seeing passage in all of scripture: 1 Cor. 15:22-28. You may have never read these passages in light of God’s distinction between Peter and Paul. Please, observe them with the realization that the “tav” heralds a completion, as opposed to an eternal separation–

For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified (KJV: made alive). Yet each in his own class:

·      the Firstfruit, Christ;

·      thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence;

·      thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power.

For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy is being abolished: death. For He subjects all under His feet.

Now whenever [Christ] may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him.

Now, whenever all may be subjected to [Christ], then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.

Here we can freely observe the agenda for God’s plans. I won’t be sharing too much concerning these verses now, beyond a mere enjoyment of their words, but they highlight God’s goal: to be All in all. This is one of the most comprehensive phrases which could be uttered; if God has uttered it, then, by His grace, let it be true.

Christ stands firmly at the end of the alphabet, just as He did at the beginning. He represents God – as His Image, He carries creation from start to finish. He is The Alpha and The Omega – The Aleph and The Tav. No other can lay claim to such a title. His journey with creation establishes true peace – a closure. Conflict between all parties will naturally cease. Creation will no longer act hostile toward the Creator. All will come together in a true harmony.

This is our Lord. We have already learned so much of Him through our studies concerning His indignation toward the sin in man. Christ is on nuanced display within every sentence of the scriptures. The cohesion of the Word of God is simply astounding.

In contrast, we may highlight the opposite of Christ’s consummation: sin’s consummation. Sin makes us unmerciful. We, unlike the Christ, simply do not wish for all to be reconciled. Too many of us have been hurt, and we believe this irreparable. We are drawn to distinguish and segregate through the flesh’s lens. And who can blame us? We’ve all experienced this miserable pain and heartache for nearly 6,000 years. We’ve inflicted this upon others. We inflict this upon our selves. We only seem to devolve further here every day. We want to see many pay for what they’ve done. We want a proper condemnation of the problems. We want to see some suffering. We want some payback, some vengeance from a wrathful God.

Mankind has come to desire hell. For many, the landscape where the worst of us are flayed alive is a mental resort – a wonderful fantasy to qualm our internal impulse. We need this mental escape to rationalize the pain we’ve endured. If there’s no compensation for the harm, then God is unjust, charged with a universal case of wrongful endangerment, by recklessly joining us to sin without considering its impact. But the outcome can’t simply be death, or God is still unjust, because all of us are dying, but not all of us individually commit every single act we’ve considered in this list so far.

Our best solution is that there must be this eternal place where all the people who transgress peace (or the people we just don’t like) are flayed. The damage, to man, is irreparable, and cannot be reversed. This idea is not strictly Christian, which highlights its fallibility; Islam’s “Jahannam,” Hinduism’s “Naraka,” the Greek mythological version of “Hades,” Norse mythology’s “Helheim,” and more are forms of escapism to account for damages incurred.

Love is not a factor, here. Instead of establishing peace through the cross, men are establishing the suffering of others, causing the cross. We are the unrighteous, designed to sin, to foil all of God’s attempts at peace. To man, failure is not an option – yet it is our consummation. It is man’s very disposition that enforces the very failure they are trying to prevent. We compensate by becoming merciless – a wall to deflect from an honest acceptance of our shortcomings. Humility is conflated with weakness, and the unintelligent heart rots.

*   *   *

Aaaaaaaand… yeah, that’s it. That’s all I’ve got.

Is it perfect? Pssshh. No. Of course not. This is, like I said, far more experimental than anything I’ve written so far (and no, I won’t be making a habit of this.) I’m sure you could find twelve different ways to contrast almost any of these words with any of the Hebrew alphabet (why can’t we contrast “ayin” with “whisperers?” You tell me. This is because righteousness and unrighteousness will always juxtapose each other in more than one way.

Nevertheless, this was fun. It felt good to take off my “academic” loafers and put on my beach flip-flops. If you’ve been enjoying the more exact nature of the study up until this point, then I’m sorry to disappoint you with these last few articles. Like I said, this is designed to be a fun, interpretive interval which can be easily skipped. You may also take much of what I say at face value, here. That’s okay. I’m not trying to be strictly correct on much more here than the facts of the Greek grammar. In the next article, we will cover the list once more, now having a better grasp on each one’s meaning. We will then consider the final verse of the chapter, and finally end our introductory study on the indignation of God.

- GerudoKing