ROMANS 1:24-32

 

The overall theme of Romans is righteousness. To understand it, we must first understand the unrighteousness that needs God's salvation.

Warren Wiersbe: “Romans 1:18 is the door that leads us into God's courtroom.” The following passage is filled with legal language. Paul presents in three parts: the Gentile world is guilty (1:18-34); the Jewish world is guilty (2:1-3:8); and the whole world is guilty (3:9-20).

The Structure of Romans 1:18-32

A. Wrath of God (1:18a)

B. Those who know God but do not honor Him (1:18b-23)

C. “God gave them up to impurity...because they exchanged the truth...for a lie” (1:24-25a)

D. Doxology (1:25b)

C'. “God gave them up to dishonorable passions...exchanged natural relations for unnatural” (1:26-27)

B'. Those who did not acknowledge God (1:28-31)

A'. Judgment of God (1:32)

Warren Wiersbe says that there are four stages to man's devolution: intelligence (1:18-20), ignorance (1:21-23) (“Man the worshiper became man the philosopher”), indulgence (1:24-27), and impenitence (1:28-32). We will discuss the last two of these today.

This is quite different from the History of Religions School understanding which posits a slow evolutionary process leading from early animistic and polytheistic beliefs to a monotheistic understanding. Don Richardson (Peace Child, Eternity in Their Hearts) told a story about a missionary in Africa who looked for any hint of belief in One Creator God in the tribes he encountered. At last, he was told, “Oh yes, we know him but don't bother praying to him because he isn't evil and won't hurt us.”

Verses 24-25: “God gave them up” means “abandoned.” (Also in verses 26 and 28) These are the most frightening words in the Bible. We sometimes wonder how horrible it would be if God treated us like he did Job. Or speculate whether Hurricane Katrina was God's retribution on the sinful city of New Orleans. But if so, at least God is dealing directly with the people in both these cases. Here he gives them up to their own devices. This is somewhat like C. S. Lewis' idea of Hell as a place where the damned want to be because God won't be there. (“The doors of Hell are locked on the inside.”)

Ephesians 4:17-19 shows the same situation from another point of view – man giving himself up to sin.

This doesn't describe an angry attitude by God, more of a sad or wistful one.

Also it isn't a passive God being portrayed, but one who actively abandoned them.

In child-rearing terms, this is using “natural consequences.” It is a very effective teaching tool.

“Impurity” includes any sort of sexual immorality.

“Lusts of heart” Aristotle defined it as reaching out to pleasure. The Stoics added “which defies all reason.”

Why are these behaviors the consequence of not believing in God? Quote Dostoevsky (“If there is no God, then all things are permitted”- The Brothers Karamazov). This is also the theme of the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rope. One of the best arguments for the existence of God is actually seen in the X-rated writings of the Marquis De Sade, because they demonstrate the perversions that arise from a consistent life of atheism..

Verse 25:

“Truth of God” = (a) the true God, (b) truth about who God is, or (c) all truth belonging to God.

“a lie” is literally “the lie,” i.e., man trying to make himself God (the original sin). A similar idea found in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12.

Paul is so horrified by this behavior that he disassociates himself from it with the short doxology

26a. Some earlier Catholic scholars interpreted this as referring to use of contraceptives – highly unlikely.

Other commentators try to defend homosexual behavior by stating that “natural” depends on what is in one's own individual nature. However, Paul is using this word in corporate and moral terms; he is not thinking of individual natures at all. (Walter Kaiser)

Even if it were true that it is a genetic condition the person has no control over, there is a difference between having homosexual feelings and acting them out. A recent ruling by the Catholic Church on homosexual priests made that distinction.

27. Statistics on the average life expectancy of homosexuals and lesbians may possibly bear this out if the verse is taken in a literal manner. Most commentators, however, merely state that any sinful act comes with a penalty.

“Passion” only appears here in the NT (orexei), as does “aon” (fire).

28. “Ought not to be done” (what is not proper or fitting) There is a play on words between edokimon (fitting) and adokimon (base mind). The latter word is often associated with “conscience” as its mental component.

Their actions warped their conscience and the way they viewed the world.

This is one of the causes of evil in the world – God does not force those who reject Him to obey His moral laws.

“Acknowledge” is a stronger word in the Greek than the usual word for “know.” It was not a lack of opportunity but a purposeful thrusting of God out of their mind.

29-31. This is like Jesus' story of a man who had demons cast out but without anything to replace them, They came back in even greater numbers to fill the vacuum. The vacuum left without God was filled (completely) with sin.

There is a similar list in II Timothy 3:2-5.

Possible Divisions to the List of Sins in Romans 1:29-31

    Division into sensual (v. 24-27) and antisocial (v. 29-31) sins. (Morris)

    Many feel that the first item, wickedness, is a general term covering all the rest.

    Four types of active sin: (wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity) expressing themselves in 17 specific types of wickedness.

    The terms start with generalities and then become more specific. (Fitzmyer)

    Two basic categories, the second beginning with jealousy (Quinn)

    24 specific sins in the list. (Wiersbe)

    Three rough groupings: first four sins, next five sins, and the rest. (Morris)

    First four belong together, followed by the next six, with the final twelve divided into 8 + 4. (Kasemann).

In any case, the division is rhetorical, not necessarily logical. It may rely on similar sounding words being put together. The NIV and RSV translations render the last three words (verse 31) with a “-less” ending as the English equivalent of the identical Greek prefix used in the original.

Envy reminds us that evildoers are not one big happy family; they are divided against one another as the next few terms demonstrate.

The Greek word for “deceit” originally referred to bait for fish.

Gossips or slanderers means literally “whisperers.”

“God haters” originally meant those who were hated by God, but then took on the opposite meaning.

The word for “boastful” in Greek was usually applied to purveyors of quack medicine (those with a “sales personality” perhaps?).

Insolence can be toward God or man.

Insolent, arrogant, boastful are all related to pride.

Inventors of evil may mean those who snoop around looking to detect evil everywhere.

The list ends with merciless or ruthless (the depth of depravity). Those who do not show mercy will receive no mercy.

All these items are part of mankind's common conscience. We don't have to be taught to do them by special revelation.

32. The verb tense “continue to do” expresses a continuing action, not a once-only thing.

“Death” is here spiritual and eternal, not merely physical. Even the Greeks believed in some sort of punishment in the afterlife for wrongdoers. Paul teaches the same idea in Romans 6:23.

This statement has caused some confusion in those who note that to do an evil oneself is far worse than just agreeing with those who do evil. However, in this case Paul is talking about people who are not content with doing evil themselves, but promote it in others as well (and thus cause others to go astray).

There is a parallel thought in Psalm 1:1 regarding the progression of sin from bad to worse. But read Psalm 1:2-3 to end on a positive note.