Pastor Curt Crist, www.welcometograce.com Do you think those with a Jewish heritage who were readily willing to accept Paul's indictment of the Gentiles as being wrath-worthy were now equally as ready to admit their own wrath-worthiness, to accept that indictment against themselves? Not a chance! Paul is turning his attention to these folks now and he's going to train his focus on the self-defense plea he anticipates to be in the minds of those of the Jewish quarter. First came that plea of ignorance, "We Gentiles just didn't know there was a God. We didn't know about God. We cannot be blamed. Why didn't God tell us about himself?" Paul quickly dispensed with that notion. They knew all about God according to Paul. God had shown them all about Himself and told them about Himself. It would be easier for them to dispense with the God they knew about than to have to be accountable to that God. Second the plea of ignorance came the self-defense motion of relative righteousness; t! he plea that went along these lines: "My thoughts and my actions aren't really as bad as some other folks that I know. There are people doing worse things than me and besides, I do some pretty good things from time to time. Surely my righteousnesses are worthy of God's consideration." That's the defense plea of anti-wrath-worthy defense plea of relative righteousness. When it comes to our failures at rightness, our pride nature won't let us see what's in the room. Our innermost motivations are hid to
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