Romans 1:31
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.
*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 786
Implacable: without libation, without truce, admitting of no truce
From the Greek word 'aspondos' (pronounced as'-pon-dos): cannot be persuaded to enter into a covenant.
Most versions render this passage of Scripture as: senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. But they leave out a translation for 'implacable'. Who wants to be considered unable to be persuaded into a covenant relationship with God? Every sinner wants to justify their sin. If the word 'implacable' is omitted, it could justify their sinful actions allowing them to believe that God will still let them into heaven. So not true.
The previous verses Romans 1:18-30 explain to whom this verse (31) is speaking. And the last verse explains their hardheadedness and their hardheartedness: "Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them." Romans 1:32.
When Paul spoke in Acts 26 to King Agrippa regarding his defense, the king at first called Paul "insane" and then that he himself was "almost persuaded." King Agrippa 'could not be persuaded to enter into a covenant relationship in Christ'.
Judas, realizing after he turned Jesus in to the Pharisees, threw the silver back at them and killed himself. All that time following Jesus and he never believed fully. He was remorseful, and perhaps, penitent, but he died unrepentant and unforgiven. He, too, refused to enter into a covenant relationship with Christ. He was never persuaded.
Paul's words in Romans 1:18-32 condemn the foolish/senseless/ignorant/undiscerning; the untrustworthy/ faithless/covenantbreakers; the unnaturally affectioned/sexually immoral/amoral/heartless; unbound by a truce/implacable/unpersuaded; unmerciful/without compassion/without pity.
And yet he is not saying anything new that hasn't been said already in God's Word. Through the anointing of the Spirit Paul is able to make clear who is not going to receive the reward of God. Unless they repent. They are arrogant and in their arrogance they are able to persuade those who listen to them that there is nothing wrong with their sinful actions. Does any of this sound familiar? We are there now in this day and age. The minority has a big mouth and many itching ears are listening to it.
Before we can enter heaven we have to enter into Christ and invite Him to enter into us. Revelation 3:20 tells us that Jesus stands at the door of our hearts, knocking to be let in, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
Behold simply means 'pay attention to what I am about to say'. It is an imperative, a directive pointing towards an objective. The directive? "Here I am knocking. Hear My voice. Open the door. Let Me come in. Let Me dine with you and you with Me." The objective? A covenant relationship.
We implore you, beg you, urge you to reconsider your decision to not listen to God and the Truth of God's Word. We weep for your souls. We desire only the best for you who do not believe and that best is a covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We are here to persuade you, to encourage you to hear the Truth of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Hear the voice of the Spirit tugging at your hearts, calling you even now into repentance: to believe, to be baptized, to be filled with the Spirit, to live a life that pleases God. Implacableness is not pleasing to God. Infidelity is not pleasing to God. Neither ignorance nor unfaithfulness is pleasing to God.
Hear the Word of the Lord, church. This letter Paul wrote, he wrote to the church in Rome, reminding them, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, suppressing the truth by unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18).
Even now this Word is True and Faithful. Hear the Lord speaking to you, open the doors of your hearts and let Him in. You don't have to try and clean yourselves up: God will clean you up. He cleaned me up. I'm not the same person I was before I came to Christ. But now Jesus lives in me and I live in Him. I live for Him. Don't you want to have a sweet, covenant relationship in Christ, too?
Jesus is my Light and I'm letting Him shine through me. He is my Testimony and my Savior, my wonderful Redeemer, my Life Eternal and my Resurrection. Jesus is my friend. How do I know all this? The Bible tells me so. And I choose to believe that God's Word is Truth.
