Without Natural Affection and Covenantbreakers

Most of us prefer a version of the Bible today that is more modern in its language than the original American Standard Version of 1901 or the King James Version, thus making the Bible easier to read and understand.  However, in a few passages scattered about the Bible, the new literal translations like the ESV, NASB, and the NKJV, all excellent translations taken as a whole, have, in my opinion, given us inferior translations in an attempt to make reading easier for us.

One such example is found in Rom. 1:31.  In Romans 1, Paul, toward the middle of the chapter, begins to talk about the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (v. 18) and then in the last few verses lists a series of sins into which mankind had fallen.  Verse 31 is a part of this listing and reads in its entirety as follows, “undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful.” (NKJV)

However, read this same verse from the King James Version and it reads as follows, “Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.”  The ASV of 1901 reads the same as the KJV except that it omits the word “implacable.”

Here is a case where both of these older translations are more accurate to my mind than any of the newer ones, more accurate in exactness of the meaning of the original Greek words behind the English words untrustworthy (NKJV) and unloving (NKJV).  That is to say, covenantbreakers is a better translation than untrustworthy, and without natural affection is a better translation than unloving.  

For covenantbreakers (it is one word in the KJV), the ESV and the NIV have "faithless," the NAS, the CSB, and the NKJV have "untrustworthy."  These words are close enough that you can see where modern-day translators were coming from, but they still stray in my mind from the exact intent of the original.  The original is not referring to general untrustworthiness but specific untrustworthiness in breaking a covenant one has made with another.  I may be wrong, as I am not a Greek scholar, and modern scholarship seems to say I am based on the newer translations, but if you go back in time, translators thought covenantbreakers was the best translation.  Let each do their own research and study. 

Hear the words of Malachi 2:13-16, and for this I will use the NKJV.  “And this is the second thing you do:  You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and crying; so He does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.  Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’  Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant.  But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one?  He seeks godly offspring.  Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.  ‘For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,’ says the Lord of hosts.  ‘Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.’”

When a man and woman marry, they make a solemn covenant between each other and God.  To break that covenant would be exactly what the Greek word used in Rom. 1:31 is talking about.  But there is more.  How many times in reading the Old Testament do you run across the word covenant in connection with covenants God made with his people and them with him?  How many times did his people break those covenants?

I did a quick e-sword search on the NKJV concordance for the word covenant in the New Testament and the word popped up 31 times in 28 total verses.  The New Testament is sometimes called the New Covenant (it is listed as that on the title page of the copy I have of the original American Standard Version of 1901).

As Christians, we have entered into a covenant relationship with God.  When Jesus died on the cross and we come to accept him as Lord, Savior, and King of our lives by gospel obedience, we have entered into a covenant relationship with him.  Remember his words, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matt. 26:28 NKJV)

Paul spoke of himself and his cohorts as “ministers of the new covenant.” (1 Cor. 3:6 NKJV)  “Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant” (Heb. 722 NKJV) says the Hebrew writer.  It is said to be a “better covenant” than that which was under the Law of Moses with better promises (Heb. 8:6).  To be a covenantbreaker, whether between husband and wife or a Christian and his God, is a serious matter.

“Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing…,” says the Hebrew writer (Heb. 10:29 NKJV).  We must be as good as our word, and if we are not, we need to repent and get to being that good.  This easy covenant breaking we have today is not going to get it with God, whether the covenant we are breaking is with our wife or husband or with God.  

Am I saying modern-day translations have it wrong?  Well, to me, yes, but I can see where the translators were coming from.  Here is what the Claude A. I. said about it, at least what it is saying today, to me, in response to my prompt, "The Greek word is ἀσυνθέτους (asynthetous), and “covenant-breakers” is the more accurate rendering of its core meaning, though “untrustworthy” captures the practical result."

ChatGPT, the A.I., says, "In Romans 1:31, “covenantbreakers” is probably the more accurate and specific English rendering of the Greek word, although “untrustworthy” conveys part of its meaning. … The word carries the idea of failing to keep an agreement or pledge, rather than simply being an unreliable person in a general sense.  There is an important distinction here. Paul is not merely saying these people are generally unreliable. He is describing people who are unfaithful to their agreements and obligations, who break their word."

Certainly, a covenantbreaker would be faithless and untrustworthy so I can see those words being used in a dynamic equivalence translation.  However, here is a case for me where I find it hard to discern between translation and commentary, which is which.

The other phrase I want to talk about from Rom. 1:31 is the words, “without natural affection.”  In the ESV and the NIV, the Greek is translated by one word, the word “heartless.”  The NAS, the CSB, and the NKJV  have “unloving.”  I think you will find the old King James Version has it correct as to the exact meaning of the Greek.  A person might be heartless and unloving in general and still not be “without natural affection.”

The Claude A. I. says this about the translation here, "The Greek word is ἄστοργος (astorgos), and “without natural affection” is the more accurate rendering, with “unloving” being a looser paraphrase."

Chapgpt said, in response to my prompt on this phrase, "I would argue that “without natural affection” (KJV) is more descriptive and precise than “unloving,” although both communicate the general idea. … He is describing a breakdown of even the most basic, instinctive human attachments."

Vine’s,  An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, a standard work that Bible students consult regularly to see what the original Greek behind the English word means, says this, “signifies without natural affection…love of kindred, especially of parents for children and children for parents.”  The Greek word is “astorgos.”

An example of natural affection is found in the story of the two women (harlots), who while living together, gave birth to sons 3 days apart.  The one woman lay on her son in the night, killing him by accident.  She then claimed the other woman’s son as her own.  The matter was taken before King Solomon, who heard both women claiming the living boy as their own.  In his wisdom, King Solomon proposed to have the son killed by the sword and both women given a half, knowing the real mother would be willing to give up the child to have his life spared.  Natural affection led to this very result, with the real mother pleading for the life of the son, willing to give him up to the other woman to save his life.  “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” (1 Kings 3:26 NKJV) 

What is natural affection if it is not God given, natural, by nature?  It is hard for most of us to understand how this can be, that one would not have natural affection, and yet Paul says some have this sin in their life.  In writing Romans 1, he includes it with a long list of many sins about which he says in closing, “that those who practice such things are worthy of death.” (Rom. 1:32 NKJV)   We read in the Old Testament of some offering their babies up for burnt sacrifices.  In 2 Kings 17, one reads of the sins that caused God to allow Israel to be carried away into captivity.  One of these sins was that “they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire.” (2 Kings 17:17 NKJV)  This was a sin associated with the worship of idols.

Manasseh, the king of Judah, became guilty of the same thing: “he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom.” (2 Chron. 33:6 NKJV)  God, in the book of Jeremiah, said, “And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my heart.” (Jer. 7:31 NKJV)  

This shows the depth and degree to which men can sink when they get involved with false doctrine.  Radical Islam (ISIS) comes to mind, where men can slit a man’s throat with a knife, the burning of Christians at the stake, etc.  

However, it can work the other way as well, children against their parents.  Almost every Bible reader is acquainted with the attempt by David’s son Absalom to overthrow him.  One can read about Absalom’s revolt beginning in 2 Sam. 15, and every indication is that David felt Absalom would put him to death if he had the opportunity. 

Many years later, Jesus spoke of a time when “brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.” (Mark 13:12 NKJV)  From time to time, we read or hear in the news of children abusing their aged parents.  In fact, Jesus talked about this very thing, although not speaking of physical abuse, in Matt. 15.  He accused the scribes and Pharisees of not honoring their parents, not being willing to help them (Matt. 15:1-6). 

Yes, these are all extreme cases, but if men can fall into the depths of sin to the degree they are willing to do these things, then certainly there is such a thing as a lack of natural affection, which none can deny.  The lack of natural affection can manifest itself in many ways.  But in whatever way it manifests itself, the sin of the heart remains the same.  The sin of lacking natural affection is simply the sin of not loving.  Perhaps this is the reason some of the modern translations use the word “unloving” in their translations.  

“For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:11 NKJV)  “He who does not love his brother abides in death.” (1 John 3:14 NKJV)  One would do well to read the book of 1 John where the word love is used 36 times in the New King James Version.

If one lacks natural affection, it is not something we are incapable of doing anything about.  All sin begins in the heart, unless one is talking about sins of ignorance.  If the Bible teaches anything at all, it teaches that men and their hearts can be changed.  Saul had a hand in seeing Christians put to death (Acts 26:10), but God and his word changed him into the apostle Paul.  Paul said there was a reason for that—that he might be an example.

I use the New Living Translation here, not because I think it is the most accurate translation of the passage, but because I think, as a commentary, it has hit the nail on the head of what the verse teaches.  I refer to 1 Tim. 1:16 where Paul says, “But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners.  Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” (NLT)

It is not a matter of saying I was born without natural affection; what can I do?  We are the way we are because of the attitudes we have developed over time.  Saul was not loving toward those families he tore apart, casting a mother, a dad, a son, or a daughter into prison and possibly seeing them put to death depending on the case.  Even so, he became a changed man.  

The apostle John reached a point where he no longer had any desire to have fire called down from heaven to consume those who rejected them (Luke 9:54), but given a lifetime came to be known to us today as the apostle of love.

Those 3,000 converted on the day of Pentecost who yelled for the Son of God to be put to death had their hearts changed from hatred and murder to love and compassion.  Christ can change us.  It all comes down to a matter of our wills.  Do we want to be known as the man or woman who lacked natural affection or the man or woman who loved his or her family?  It is a matter of personal choice just as much as salvation is.  Natural affection goes with salvation as much as the lack of it goes with condemnation.

Love is a choice.  That cannot be emphasized too much.  Love is a choice, and remember, we are talking about natural affection.  When you begin to love rather than hate, you will find life to be much happier.  Where do you begin?  You begin from within, within your heart.  You begin with your will.  God can change your heart, your life, but you have to want it first.  When you want it, you will begin seeking it, and when you seek, you shall find (Matt. 7:8).

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Things God Hates From the Psalms and Proverbs

In one sense there is little need to write an article on specific things God hates, for it is evident that God hates all sin. Just list a sin and you know immediately it is a thing God hates and a thing that separates man from God. “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isa. 59:2 NKJV) As much as God loves man, his nature is such that he cannot tolerate sin.

He who knowingly sins shows disrespect for God and a lack of love for him. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV) “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me.” (John 14:21 NKJV) “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word.” (John 14:23 NKJV) “He who does not love me does not keep My words.” (John 14:24 NKJV) It is true we all sin through weakness of the flesh, but when we do, we need to face up to the fact of what it tells us about ourselves and then repent.

For a Christian to sin willfully is to trample the Son of God underfoot, count the blood of the covenant a common thing, and insult the Spirit of grace (Heb. 10:26-29). Considered this way, one can see that God is entirely just in making the wages of sin death (Rom. 6:23) and especially in light of the fact he sent Jesus into the world to make a sacrifice of himself on the cross to redeem man from sin. God’s great love should not be spurned and will not be by those having a good and honest heart.

While God hates all sin, and we are all well aware of that, it still seems to hit one with more force when the word of God specifically says of a thing that God hates it or if he specifically says of a thing that it is an abomination to him. Here is a list of such things as taken from the Psalms and Proverbs.

(1) “The wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.” (Psalm 11:5 NKJV) How much so? The next verse reads, “Upon the wicked He will rain coals, fire and brimstone and a burning wind; this shall be the portion of their cup.” (Psalm 11:6 NKJV)

Wickedness is determined by God. We can only know wickedness from righteousness by his word. “All your commandments are righteousness.” (Psalm 119:172 NKJV) “Salvation is far from the wicked for they do not seek Your statutes.” (Psalm 119:155 NKJV) To walk without the light of God’s word is to walk as a blind man and to be led into wickedness. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 NKJV) but that is only true of the one who will follow it.

(2) “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” (Prov. 6:16-19 NKJV) In Prov. 16:18 the Bible teaches that “Pride goes before destruction.” (NKJV) “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. 16:5 NKJV) In Mark 7:22-23 Jesus listed pride as an evil thing that comes from within and defiles a man.

As for liars, the book of Revelation tells us, “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8 NKJV)

I really do not think it necessary to speak of the other things listed in this Prov. 6 passage, for we all know what the Bible says about murderers (“hands that shed innocent blood”), wickedness, evil, and false witnesses who are liars, but I do think it might be good to take a moment to speak of those who sow discord among brethren. It is a thing God hates, but some people thrive on stirring things up. We might well use the word strife here for the meaning is the same.

Strife can be aroused as the result of hatred (Prov. 10:12), pride (Prov. 13:10, 28:25), anger or wrath (Prov. 15:18, 29:22), and/or pure perversity (Prov. 16:28). Proverbs 16:28 deals with perversity and strife and helps clarify the nature of a perverse man.

“An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire. A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends.” (Prov. 16:27-28 NKJV)

The note in the NET Bible says of this perverse man, “This refers to someone who destroys lives. The parallelism suggests that he is a ‘slanderer’ or ‘gossip’ — one who whispers and murmurs.” This goes along with Prov. 26:20, “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.” (NKJV) “The perverse person is an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. 3:32 NKJV)

John Gill, the well-known eighteenth-century Bible commentator, says the perverse person of this passage (Prov. 3:32) “is one that acts contrary to the nature, will, and word of God.” It is a person who “goes astray,” as the NET Bible puts it. Some translations use the word “devious” (HCSB, ESV) rather than perverse, so we get the idea of an ungodly person who does not care about God or keeping his word. The NAS77, the original New American Standard Bible, uses the phrase “the crooked man.” Such a person is an abomination to God. Such a person sows discord. He is devious.

The one who sows discord among brethren not only sins himself but, generally speaking, leads others into sin as they begin to grow angry with one another because of what he has said and done to stir up strife. In turn, they end up saying and doing things they should not and developing hearts that are less than pure.

The church is not to tolerate and celebrate sin in its midst (see 1 Cor. 5, 2 Thess. 3:6). We are to have corrective discipline in the church, and it would be sinful not to; we are to “reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition.” (Titus 3:10 NKJV) This divisive man is likely to find fault, sin, and error everywhere even when it exists mainly in his own mind. He is a sower of discord.

In addition to perversity and its relationship to the sowing of discord, here are some other things that the Bible says in the Proverbs that are an abomination to God. I will try not to repeat things already listed above which are repeated elsewhere in the Psalms and Proverbs.

(3) “Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. 11:20 NKJV) This differs from the above only in that it goes deeper into the very heart of a man. One might say, as long as a man does not do the deed, he can think as he pleases. Not so according to the Lord.

The Bible has much to say about God reading a man’s heart and knowing it, a topic for another article, but the bottom line is it is the pure in heart that shall see God (Matt. 5:8). This passage from Proverbs clearly teaches the state of a man’s heart toward God, God’s word, and toward his fellow man makes a big, big difference with God. The Psalmist said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” (Psalm 66:18 NKJV) True it is that the perverse in heart will act out in life, but he is a condemned man because of the state of his heart even before he acts.

Proverbs 15:26 teaches much the same thing but uses the word “wicked” instead of “perverse.” “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.” (NKJV)

(4) “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. 11:1 NKJV, see also Prov. 20:10 and 20:23) For the younger generation who might not know, a false balance is a reference to “false scales” and the passage has reference to one who sets out to cheat another, in reality, steal from him, by using a dishonest measure. By implication, it is any attempt to cheat another person out of their goods or short them in a sale. This is abominable to the Lord. It is just and fair for a merchant to make a profit as long as it is an honest profit, not one made by devious means.

(5) “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. 15:8 NKJV, see also Prov. 21:27) One cannot just go through the motions of worship, even if making a sacrifice to do so, and think God is going to be pleased. Cain found this out very early in the history of man. The sacrifice that is pleasing to God is a broken and contrite heart. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17 NKJV) This is the very sacrifice the wicked will not give God. Repentance is far from them.

We also must remember God gets to define wickedness, not you or me. A person may be sincere in heart and not fit into the category of those I just spoke about and yet his worship is unacceptable to God. Why? Because it is authorized by man, not by God. Man, without necessarily having ill intent, may worship God in ways thought up by other men and handed down by tradition and not worship by what God’s word has taught him. The Bible says, Jesus quoting from the book of Isaiah, “In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Mark 7:7 NKJV) Some of these doctrines taught by the commandments of men in our own time deal with how men should worship, but God, not man, gets to define what is acceptable worship.

(6) “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. 17:15 NKJV) Wow! This one can easily arouse a lot of anger and bitterness among men, especially in the realm of politics. How many people are there, when it comes to election season here in America, who  want to justify candidates who hold unscriptural positions? Unfortunately, there are many. The Bible says it is an abomination. Many in high positions of power and influence are today justifying unscriptural marriage, fornication, abortion, homosexuality, and sexual perversions, and yet we advocate for such men and women at election time. They say we must separate politics and religion at the voting box. However, I have never found that passage in my New Testament. I will keep looking.

On the other hand, how many do we have today who will gladly condemn the Christian who holds to Christian teaching from the word of God? The number is growing every day as America becomes more and more secular. They condemn the just because the just will not go along with gay marriage or abortion or the secular agenda, and it is said we are denying civil rights and are engaged in a war against women, we are haters and intolerant, and ignorant (ignorant for believing in God and the word of God). The unjust are now setting the standards by which they expect America to live, but the Bible says, “those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.” (Psalm 34:21 NKJV)

One final thought on this. In the personal realm, we cannot justify or uphold a son or daughter, a mother or dad, a sister or brother, a husband or wife, or any other relative or friend engaged actively in sin. It is an abomination to God. Who says so? God does in Proverbs 17:15.

(7) “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” (Prov. 28:9 NKJV) Sometimes we hear people saying things like the more persons praying for you the better. Well, yes, if they are the right kind of people. However, if people are going to be praying for me, I am more interested in who is doing the praying rather than the number doing it. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.” (Psalm 34:15 NKJV) Not every man’s prayer is going to help.

Those caught up in all kinds of false doctrine, believing it and promoting it, are not going to do me much good according to this verse (Prov. 28:9) and no more so than the man who is totally ungodly. There are religious bodies doing things in the name of Christianity that you cannot find a word of authority for in the New Testament, and yet the Holy Spirit says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Col. 3:17 NKJV) It is hard to do a thing in the name of the Lord Jesus when the Lord Jesus gave no word for it. To do a thing in the name of the Lord Jesus is to do it by his authority, by his word. Where there is no word, there is no authority. To act without the word is to turn away from hearing the law and do as you please.

This completes a listing of things God says he hates or that are an abomination to him from the book of Psalms and the book of Proverbs, but I think it would be good to go outside these two books and list three other things God finds abominable or hates because of their application to modern-day life here in the United States.

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” (Lev. 18:22 NKJV) I list this because it is a sin listed in the New Testament—see 1 Cor. 6:9 in the English Standard Version—and there is a big push in the U.S. to legalize this sin and make it a civil right (gay marriage). If they succeed will it be any less an abomination to God?

“One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife.” (Ezek. 22:11 NKJV) This is listed because adultery is as much a sin under the New Testament as it was under the Law of Moses and God declares it an abomination. Literally millions of Americans have and/or are presently engaged in this sin not just by having illicit affairs alone but by living in adulterous marriages. The word neighbor in this passage should not be limited to the woman next door. It was never meant to be defined that narrowly.

And finally, God has made it clear that he hates divorce. “For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce.” (Mal. 2:16 NKJV) I also wanted to include this passage for it is such a common sin in America today. Do not misunderstand. Just because you are divorced, it does not mean that you were/are the guilty party, but in every divorce at least one party has sinned, and as is sometimes the case both parties have. God hates it. Just about every time you find a divorce (there are exceptions, of course) you will find another woman or man involved and thus you have not only divorce but adultery also.

This concludes this piece, but I would have the reader remember what was said in the first paragraph of this article. God hates all sin and its wages are death (Rom. 6:23). We all need forgiveness and have the need to put away sin from our lives once and for all.

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Pregnancy, Prayer, and Abortion

I recently learned I am to be a grandfather for the first time. I have started praying for the baby, God’s blessing. Not long after starting to do that, the thought came to my mind that this is one thing those who contemplate having an abortion and those who believe in abortion cannot do. I had never thought about that.

How does one pray for a baby they plan to kill? How do those who believe in abortion pray for what they consider to be just a mass of blood and biological tissue, non-human? One might pray for a health problem they have, but that would be because one wanted life and health. In the case of those desiring abortion, they want death. Does one pray “kill this thing?”

If those who believe in abortion respond by saying we can pray for a pregnancy where no abortion is planned, then I say, how is there any consistency in that? Is that which is within the womb human if we plan on keeping it, but just tissue and blood, non-human, if we desire to rid ourselves of it? A fetus is a fetus in either case. I guess the difference is one is loved and desired while the other is hated.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is his reward.” (Psalm 127:3 NKJV) Obviously, not everyone is willing to accept that.

What if the child is born out of wedlock? What if it is? Jephthah, the son of a prostitute (Judges 11:1), is listed in what we often call God’s hall of fame of the faithful in Hebrews 11:32. Based on the way his half-brothers cast him out, it seems very likely his father was never married to the prostitute mother. Lange’s Commentary reads as follows:

“If he had been the son of one who was properly a wife, his brothers would doubtless have been obliged to admit him to a share in the inheritance … But they maintained that his mother had not been a wife of their father at all, not even one of secondary rank,—that she was nothing but a harlot.”

No matter how a child is conceived, God is responsible for giving the life. In the womb, God is in the process of making us. “Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one fashion us in the womb?” (Job 31:15 NKJV) Jeremiah says the word of the Lord came to him saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jer. 1:5 NKJV) Would it have been okay to abort Jeremiah while he was still in the womb? How about the apostle Paul? How about Jesus himself?

One never knows how a child will turn out, but we must remember the child is God’s creation, not our own. Man should not interfere with God’s work. God opens and closes wombs (Gen. 29:31, 30:22, 1 Sam. 1:5-6), and it is he who fashions us in the womb.

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Things God Cannot Do

The Bible teaches that there are things God cannot do. Why not? It is certainly not because he lacks the power or knowledge, but it’s a matter of who he is, his character. We can understand that. There are things you and I could do, but our character would never allow it. I thought it would be good to use an online Bible concordance for the New King James Version and type in the word “cannot” and see what came up. I was interested only in those things God cannot do. Here is the list I compiled.

(1) God says in Isa. 1:13, “I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.” (NKJV) At the start of this same chapter God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, says of his people that they “have rebelled against me” (Isa. 1:2 NKJV); then, two verses later, they are referred to as a “sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters!” (Isa. 1:4 NKJV) They were up to their necks in sin of all kinds and yet were still offering sacrifices to God (v. 11) and observing the assemblies (v. 13). They were a people full of hypocrisy.

God cannot endure worship directed to him when those offering it are full of sin that they are unrepentant of. Living a life of sinful indulgence and disregard for God’s word did not please God then, nor will it now, no matter how much playing church we do. Acceptable worship to God must be from a life of faithful living in spirit and truth.

We see what God cannot endure nearly everywhere we look if we have eyes to see. As an example, it is common to see congregations in which there are unscripturally divorced and remarried couples, couples living in adultery by the Bible definition, that are members in good standing. I personally knew of a man who left his wife of, I am told, 37 years, for another woman, married this woman, and now attends another congregation which seemed to accept him and her with open arms, unrepentant. It is also common to hear on the news of churches welcoming homosexual pastors or priests, as they call them. If you know anything about the Bible, you know God condemns homosexuality (1 Cor. 6:9-10). These are just a couple of examples, but God is still saying, “I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.” (Isa. 1:13 NKJV)

(2) Habakkuk says of God in Hab. 1:13, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.” (NKJV) Obviously, God sees or knows the wickedness of man; otherwise, how could he judge man? “There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb. 4:13 NKJV) The Psalmist tells us in speaking of God that “he knows the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21 NKJV) So, there is no hiding wickedness from God, even wickedness in the heart. Habakkuk is saying in this passage that God cannot tolerate or endure wickedness or sin.

What is the message for today? “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Gal. 6:7-8 NKJV) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:10 NKJV) “Tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek.” (Rom. 2:9 NKJV)

The fact that God does not punish men on the spot and immediately for their sin does not mean he has not seen it or has overlooked it. If it seems we have gotten by with it, it is only because God is “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV) There will be a day of accounting. God “cannot look on wickedness.” It is impossible for him to accept it.

(3) “God cannot be tempted by evil.” (James 1:13 NKJV) This is just a straightforward statement of fact. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life tempt men, not God. God is spirit. The same passage tells us that God tempts no one.

What does this mean that God cannot be tempted by evil? It means God will not lie to me, he will not cheat me, he will do me no wrong at all, for that would be evil, the thing God cannot be tempted to do. It means God cannot be bribed or bought off, for that would be evil. Evil, in all its manifestations, is absent from God. It means, as we are told in many places in scripture, that God is good. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5 NKJV)

Yes, there will be problems that enter my life, but they will be for my growth and improvement. “Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NKJV) “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (Heb. 13:5 NKJV)

(4) God “cannot lie.” (Titus 1:2 NKJV) Titus tells us this in connection with a promise God has made to his people—the promise of eternal life. This is a great comfort and hope as time goes by in our lives and we see ourselves growing older. We know some day we must leave this world for the great unknown, but God has given a promise, and he cannot lie; there is such a thing as eternal life. What a joyous thought and hope.

But we must also remember that when we are told that God cannot lie, it pertains to everything God has said. We cannot choose what parts of the Bible we want to believe and obey. God cannot lie about anything he has said. If he has given a commandment you or I do not like, we must remember God was not lying when he gave us the commandment. He meant for it to be kept and obeyed. Next time you read a commandment that is hard to accept, ask yourself this question: Is God lying about this? Does he mean it?

Today, men and women are living in disobedience to plain commandments of God because, in their minds, he will not care, he did not mean it for us today, he knows times have changed. In other words, God did not mean what he said and will not count our disobedience against us as sin. We need to remember the words of Jesus, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4 NKJV) We ought to emphasize from that passage the phrase “every word.” God “cannot lie.”

(5) God “cannot deny himself.” (2 Tim. 2:13 NKJV) Taken in the context in which this passage is found, the entire verse reads as follows: “If we are faithless, he remains faithful; he cannot deny himself.” This is very similar to the previous passage from Titus telling us God cannot lie. To be faithful means we keep our word. For God not to do this would make him unfaithful, and he would be denying himself, denying what he had previously told us.

This really means that you and I can take God’s word to the bank, as the old saying goes. It is good as gold, better than gold. There is no possibility of a failure or fault to be found with it. We need to have confidence in the word of God, for without it, when doubts start entering in, sin and falling away are not far behind. Jesus says, “The scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35 NKJV) God cannot deny himself.

It is wonderful to know the things God can do, but it is also wonderful to learn there are things God cannot and will not do.

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