Romans Lesson 2: 1.18-32 - GUILTY
LAST WEEK: In this first section of Romans (1:1-17), we heard Paul introduce the general theme of the Gospel as the Revelation of Righteousness of God. Let's summarize the seven major points of application that we took from it:
THIS WEEK: Continuing in Rom. 1:18-32, we will hear Paul explain and confirm that faith alone is the only means by which we can attain the righteousness offered in the gospel. This is true because humans are so hopelessly depraved that they can never earn God's salvation by their own work or merit. This section can be broken into two smaller subdivisions: the first, 1:18-23, deals with the basis for the guilt of Gentiles (which, indeed, includes all of humanity) and the second, 1:24-32, deals with the consequences of that guilt.
Read Rom. 1:18-23 - WHY MANKIND MUST BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
v. 18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" - The conjunction "For" tightly connects this section with v. 17 of last week ("the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith," that is, through the gospel). The "wrath of God" isn't some irrational passion within the Godhead, but represents God's settled hatred for sin. The Wrath of God is a present, ongoing reality, which is revealed when God inflicts his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. While God will inflict his wrath of the Day of Judgment (Rom. 2:5, 8; 3:5; 9:22), He also inflicts wrath in history by handing humans over to their sin to suffer its consequences. The truth that humanity has unrighteously suppressed is the fact that the one true God should be respected, honored, and worshipped for who He is. Unrighteousness involves a person's refusal to give God His rightful sovereignty over his or her life or acknowledge that he or she is accountable to Him as creator.
v. 19: "because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them - The word translated "known" is found only here in Paul's writings but 14 times elsewhere in the NT, and in every case, refers to something that is known or being made known, not something that cannot be known. The reason what is known about God should be is evident to all people as explained in the next verse.
v. 20: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" - Paul is very simply saying that God's eternal power and divine nature are known through observing the created world. The "they" includes all of humanity-everybody. David described it poetically: "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands" (Ps. 19:1). Thus, no one-even those who have not heard of the Bible or of Christ-has an excuse for not honoring God. People who deny this are suppressing the truth (v. 18).
TRUTH 1: God's eternal power and divine nature are known through observing the created world. No one, not even people who've never heard of the Bible or of Christ, has an excuse for not honoring God. People who deny this fact of history are actively covering up (suppressing) the truth (v. 18).
v. 21: "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened" - Even though people knew of God in terms of His existence and His divine power and nature, they did not acknowledge Him or give Him thanks, but by suppressing the knowledge of God, they became "futile" in their minds ("speculations"). The term "futile" (Gk. mátaios) lit. vain, useless, and false, carries the idea of idolatry, since an idol is, in reality, useless and powerless. A "foolish heart darkened" was the result of what they had allowed themselves to believe in-a worthless and powerless idol.
v. 22: "Professing to be wise, they became fools" - By refusing to acknowledge God when His divine power and works are evident in His creation, people who profess to be acquiring wisdom are, in reality, growing to be more and more foolish. Even brilliant people who refuse to honor God miss the whole purpose of life and are therefore fools. Solomon said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Prov. 1:7). Sadly, the main reason that people refuse to acknowledge the evidence of creation is moral, not intellectual. The evidence is there for all to see; however, people don't want to submit to God; they want to be their own lord.
v. 23: "and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures" - We all need to understand that idolatry is the fundamental sin. In addition to the images housed in various temples, Roman families commonly kept individual "house gods" in their homes. Near Eastern pagan religions worshipped idols in the form of beasts or in the likeness of mixed human/beast deities such as the ancient gods of Egypt. Some worshiped the sun, the moon, or the earth itself, which is a form of idolatry, because the creator is not part of His creation. We see this today in the form of "nature worship. "Modern idols" are often mental rather than solid images, but are still things in which people put their trust rather than in God Himself. It could be said that anything a person actually "worships" in place of God is for all practical purposes an idol.
TRUTH 2: Anything a person actually "worships" in place of God is for all practical purposes an idol. Romans and Greeks worshiped statues that represented a pantheon of false gods, and Near Eastern pagan religions worshipped idols in the form of beasts or in the likeness of mixed human/beast deities. Modern "idols" are often wealth and material things rather than craven images, but are still things in which people put their trust rather than in God Himself.
Read Romans 1:24-32 - THE RESULT OF HUMAN GUILT BEFORE GOD
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
v. 24: "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them" - When Paul says "Therefore," he means based on everything he listed above in vv. 18-23, "God gave them over...," and to underline its significance, Paul repeats that phrase three times (vv. 23, 26, and 28) in this section. The meaning of the phrase "God gave them over" demands that we give God a more active role as the initiator of the process. What is being described in this section is not simply the natural course of events but an ongoing history directed by a sovereign God who makes decisions that affect people, societies, and cultures. Like a judge who hands over a prisoner to the punishment his crime deserves, God hands over the sinner to the terrible cycle of ever-increasing sin. C. S. Lewis remarked, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'Thy will be done."
The last phrase, "so that their bodies would be dishonored," is a reference to sexual perversion.
v. 25: "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen" - The conjunction "For" ties this verse to v. 24 to make it clear that sexual perversion is closely linked with idolatry. Paul explains that people have "exchanged" (i.e., substituted) the truth about God for a lie-useless idols-that represent gods that don't exist, let alone deserve to be worshipped! And the real absurdity of the lie is that they serve it and worship it as a form of religion. One commentator says that idolatry isn't just the worship of empty idols but the express proclamation that the Biblical God doesn't exist. What rotten thinking!
vv. 26-27: "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error" - This includes not only homosexual acts but "passions" that are considered "degrading" before God. In the same way that idolatry is unnatural-i.e., contrary to what God intended when he created human beings-homosexuality is likewise contrary to "natural function" because it does not represent what God intended when he made men and women with physical bodies that have a "natural" way of interacting with each other and "natural" desires for each other. The expression "burned in their desire" indicates that once men departed from the true course in God's created order it unleashed powerful desires for men to be sexually involved with other men in shameless acts, which brings to mind the men of Sodom and Gomorrah who tried to have sex with Lot's two guests in Gen. 19:1-11.
TRUTH 3: Homosexuality is contrary to "natural function" because it does not represent what God intended when he made men and women. God made men and women with physical bodies that have a "natural" way of interacting with each other and "natural" desires for each other.
v. 28: "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper" - Here, as Paul continues, he explains that human depravity isn't limited to sexual sins, and in the verses that follow, he goes on to list a whole catalog of evils common to human beings who do not "see fit to acknowledge God any longer." As a result of this, God has given such people over to a "depraved mind," literally a debased or deranged mindset that not only rejects God but disregards His natural order of things. Such people aren't governed by any type of moral compass but feel justified in doing anything that seems right to them.
TRUTH 4: A depraved mind is a debased way of thinking that not only rejects God but disregards His natural order of things. People with depraved minds aren't governed by any type of moral compass but feel justified in doing anything that seems right to them.
v. 29a: "being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil" - Paul's list can be broken into three yet distinct lists. The first section starts with the graphic statement that such people are "filled" followed by four nouns describing what they are filled with: "unrighteousness" lit. in Gk. any attitudes or actions contrary to the will of God; "wickedness" lit. an inherently immoral and corrupt nature; "greed" is a person who is never content with what he has and who always wants and expects more; and "evil" (similar in meaning to wicked).
v. 29b: "full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice" - In this second section, Paul continues by saying such people are "full of envy" which is anger at another's success and wishing evil on them; murder" is the premeditated desire to kill someone; "strife" is someone who likes to quarrel, dispute, and give offense; "deceit" is a person who delights in misleading naïve people, a trickster; and "malice" is a person who wishes evil on others. That their conscious minds are filled-up with "all" of these things describes a way of thinking that pictures a mental cesspool-a gutter mind.
vv. 29c-31: "they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful" - There are twelve nouns in this third section: "gossips" are people who like to harm others by undermining their reputations; "slanderers" intentionally make false and misleading statements about others with the intention causing damage to them; "haters of God" are people who suppress the truth about the existence of God and usually practice some form of idolatry; "insolent" describes someone who insults others out of disrespect, especially based on socio-economic prejudices, which can involve violence; "arrogant" is a prideful person who sees himself as being above others in privilege; "boastful" is self-important behavior related to arrogance, opp. of humble; "inventors of evil" are people who devise evil against God, but in particular, delight in devising of ways of inflicting harm on their neighbors; "disobedient to parents" is a form of disrespect that's like rebellion against God; "without understanding" describes thoughts and actions that demonstrate lack of moral discernment in terms of accepted standards of truth and justice; "untrustworthy" describes a person who is not only unfaithful to God but dishonest toward the followers of God, in a word, two-faced; "unloving" describes people who have no natural sympathy or affection for others, even their own families; and "unmerciful" is indifference towards the needs of others with the absence of any desire to help them-hardhearted. Almost 2,000 years later, these sins still abound in our world, yes? And almost 2,000 years later the remedy for all of these sins hasn't changed: the cross of Jesus Christ.
v. 32: "and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them - Now we reach Paul's conclusion to this section. The point he drives home here is that people in general don't fall into sin out of innocent or guiltless ignorance. Jews, of course, had the revelation of God's Law but what about Gentiles? Well, the answer is that all people know (or should know, v. 13) in a natural and instinctive way that the types of evil enumerated in vv. 24-31, above, are sins and therefore, blatantly immoral. This ties-in with the Doctrine of Common Grace, which JR covered in our Wed. night study on the Holy Spirit, with the belief that God creates all humans (not just Christian believers) with a "conscience"-a natural sense of right and wrong that serves to restrain sin in an individual and in his society (Ps. 145:9; Lk. 6:35; and Acts 14:17). Consequently, such evil deserves divine condemnation and judgment. And indeed, this type of evil goes even further when people give approval and praise others for their sinful actions because it makes them feel better about the evil course of life they have chosen for themselves.
TRUTH 5: People in general don't fall into sin out of innocent or guiltless ignorance. All people know or should know, in a natural and instinctive way, that the types of evil enumerated in vv. 24-31, above, are sins and therefore, blatantly immoral. If you apply the Doctrine of Common Grace, it means that God creates all humans (not just Christian believers) with a "conscience"-a natural sense of right and wrong that serves to restrain sin in an individual and in his society (Ps. 145:9; Lk. 6:35; and Acts 14:17).
PRAYER: Lord God, our Father and Creator, we come before Your throne this morning with humble and grateful hearts, thanking and praising You for Your love, mercy, and unmerited grace toward us. We thank You this morning for sending Your only begotten Son to this earth as a human baby so that He could ultimately give His life on the cross in order to pay the penalty for our sins. We thank you right now for the imputed righteousness of Christ that allows us access to your throne at this moment. We thank you for using Your apostle Paul to explain how faith alone is the only way we can attain the righteousness offered by the gospel. Lord, as we continue though this Book of Romans, I pray that you will use it to help and me and every other member this class to be stronger witnesses for the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we celebrate this Season of Advent, I pray, Dear God, that You will use it as a sign of hope in an unbelieving world. In the name of Jesus, our king of kings and Lord of Lords, I ask these things, AMEN.
