The Deception of a Self-Made Man Romans 1:18-32

The Deception of a Self Made Man

Roman 1:18-25
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

The Deception of a Self Made Man
Bobbie Carlyle's vision of Self Made Man is a man carving himself out of stone, carving his character, carving his future. The underlining philosophy behind the Self Made Man, is "... left to his own devices, man will use his god-given talents to be creative, productive, and prosperous. Using free will, he will better his own situation and that of those around him, thereby influencing in a positive way his own destiny..."

“Self Made Man” as its symbol of self-reliance and the freedom philosophy. The powerful image of the rugged “Self Made Man,” chiseling himself out of a solid block of rock captures the essence of the freedom philosophy – that left to his own devices, man will use his God-given talents to be creative, productive, and prosperous. Using free will, he will better his own situation and that of those around him, thereby influencing in a positive way his own destiny.

The Deception of the Self Made Man Sculpture is seriously flawed to the exclusion of God as the creator of man, the self- made man sculpture depicts the man carving himself out of stone; man was not carved out of stone to the exclusion of God creating man; Just like the big bang theory that the universe did not just explode by chance into existence, and thus, man evolved from one species--This is the lie the Devil would have the ignorant and the simple minds believe. Scripture teaches that man was created by God in God's image: Genesis 2: 7-8 "The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed." The deception is such that natural man will rage against God's order of creation, in great enmity claiming autonomy from their Creator, independence, as if they made themselves. Refusal to give glory to God, and instead exchanged the glory of God for a lie, of a self made man and a self made religion: Romans 1: 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 

What is the consequence of such self made man deception is that the Self-made man will be indeed broken,  by God's Wrath! God's wrath indeed revealed! 24 "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. "

Self- Made man philosophy teaches a man-centric theology that independent of God, that left to his own devices, man will use his God-given talents to be creative, productive, and prosperous. Using free will, he will better his own situation and that of those around him, thereby influencing in a positive way his own destiny.  Herein lies the deception: How can the Self-made man philosophy claim to have God given talents? The issue is that such a man-centric philosophy really claims to carve self out of a rock, teaching that man is creator of himself, and gave himself self given talents. The bottom line; man left to his own devices will use his will to rebel against God and became in bondage to sin and death. And the expression of his will is no longer  free, but the expression of his will became in bondage to sin and death. Resulting in a will that is not free, nor can it better his own situation and that of those around him, and though there be a temporary positive way, he is still paving his own destiny toward hell, just as in his life, he did not see fit to acknowledge God; so in his destiny will be eternally paving his way and lie down in eternal torment. Though he paves his way to be creative and temporally rich, as a result of temporal productivity and prosperity, so as to boast in ones own achievements without God; so will he pave his way of bondage to sin and death of creative, productive and prosperous expressions of sin and death to lead to his final destiny to lie down in torment without God!

Such a Self-Made theology results in a reliance on Self for his achievements, that such a trust, and self reliance will cause such arrogance to have him think that he can be creative, and productive and prosperous to achieve an eternal favor in God's eyes based on their own efforts, achievements, merits,strength and riches. Such a self reliance will deceive him into thinking he has a free will whether to Choose God and Receive Christ, or not--herein lies the deception of self made faith and source of his own efforts and ability to believer; Apart from Saving Grace there is no faith to believe in God, because in and of themselves they are dead to God. Their condition of being Dead to God will springs up the lie of being self-made carved out of stone! Thus will they carve out in their own minds a self-made religion, rules, efforts and merits to please their own laws demands for a good favor and standing before themselves, and not before God, because in their Self-made theology only they exist apart from God.
Indeed, the natural man outside of Grace, does not want to believe, will not, they are dead; so in their minds eye there is no one greater than themselves and in their mind, God does not exist, being Dead to God; The Teaching of the Sovereignty of God as it is taught from Scripture,That the Greatness of God's Free will to do as God Pleases, and to choose whomever He Will's--indeed! goes against the grain of man centered theology to the point that they get cut to the quick and rage against their Creator who is indeed greater than the created and also, worthy of the creations praise and worship; but they do not want to worship God, they exchanged the truth of God's Sovereignty for their own man centered theology and worship themselves, as if they can synergistically help God to save themselves. Resulting in the worship of themselves and the boasting of themselves instead of the worship of God who is forever Praised, Amen! Romans 1:18-21-32
But Scripture teaches, ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Man apart from God's Grace in Creation and Salvation cannot carve his own character, but rather, because they are in bondage to sin, will their character be indeed corrupted and rot away, along with his future and final destiny!
It is indeed the Holy Spirit who provides great Sanctification and transformation into the image of Christ, a character molded and carved into the image of Christ; as the Holy Spirit Hews the believer from Rock of Christ's Life!