About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Vile Affections

(Article for publication week of 4-24- AD2013)

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet” (Romans 1:26-27).

Romans 1:18-32 reads like the news reports from modern day America. In this passage Paul begins his indictment of the human race with the filthy Gentiles of the Greco-Roman world. Thought they had the knowledge of God by the light of nature, and the conscience within (as all men have), they did not like to retain the knowledge of God, and so they became such fools that they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into images of created things, and worshipped and served the creation, rather than the Creator. And so God gave them up to dirty living, and such dirty living that they plunged into the filth of sodomy. When people reject God, He rejects them. And that is an awful thing, when God leaves you to yourself, and removes even the restraints of conscience and of nature itself.

Well, that is about where America is, and from what we read, most of the Western World. The European nations and their former colonies, which were once citadels of the Christian faith, are now anti- Christian. When a people have had as much gospel light as Britain and America, and then reject it, you can mark it down, they will be severely judged. And America is under the judgment of God for sure. When a nation has evil rulers as we have, it is God’s judgment on us. When a nation is perpetually at war all over the world, you can bet it is God’s judgment, for that is what war is, it is God’s judgment on a people who rebel against Him. Hell is popping out all around us as one calamity after another comes. Almost every day there is a mass killing, or a terrible fire, or an earthquake, or a flood, or a tornado, or a hurricane, or some other calamity. Have you noticed that the flags are at half-staff almost all the time lately? The wrath of God is being revealed (Romans 1:18) against America, and Americans who will not repent of their sins and acknowledge Him.

A nation that permits, endorses and promotes the filth of sodomy is a goner. You can mark that down. We are not going to politic our way out of this. Our text says that such vile people will receive the just recompence of their reward, and the passage ends in verse 32 by warning us that they who “commit such things are worthy of death.” And you really ought to go read the whole passage. God condemns not only the filthy sodomites, but also disobedience to parents. You see, sodomy is the last straw for a nation or a person, but all sin is worthy of death. That is a sober thought. Unless you repent of your sin, whether great or small, God is going to sentence you to eternal death. I tell you again, there is no sin so small that it does not deserve eternal damnation, but there is no sin so great that it will not be forgiven those who truly repent and believe in Christ. Poor sinner flee from the wrath to come. Save yourself from this untoward generation.

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