Introduction
We are in the section that shows that all of humanity stands condemned before God. Specifically, this section tells us that Gentile people stand condemned before God because even though God has made Himself known through nature, they have suppressed the truth and turned to idols.
So when they stand before God on the day of judgment, they are without excuse.
This week, we are moving on to complete the rest of the chapter.
This passage from vv. 24-32 is about God’s response to people’s rejection of God. We will see how God will display His wrath.
Notice the repeated phrase in vv. 24, 26, 28 “God gave them up.”
It will be good for you to underline or highlight these repeated phrases in your Bible because there are three things that God gave people up to.
I. God Gave Them Up to Impurity (1:24-25)
The first word “therefore” shows God’s response to man who rejects God.
The verb translated “gave up” is a very common verb in the NT occurring 119 times and means to hand over or entrust things to people.
When “God gave them up,” He is actually judging them.
By giving them up, this is the way God displays His wrath.
When a person, rather than honoring God and giving thanks to Him, insists on pursuing his own depraved desires, and God gives him up to these desires, that is actually His judgment.
We see this very clearly in God’s dealing with the children of Israel in the wilderness. Notice how the psalmist describes it in Ps 105:13-15
13 “But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.”
Sometimes as Christians, we would ask God for certain things.
In God’s wisdom and kindness He chooses not to give them to us because what we want may destroy us.
So when God withholds something from us, it is actually a good thing, even though we do not think so.
Notice that first of all, God gave them up to impurity (uncleanness).
We know what this means since Paul says that it comes from the lusts of the heart. Because these people insist on carrying out the lust of the flesh, God handed them over to their own lusts.
We must clarify that God did not make them do it, but rather because they have been immersed in these sins, God handed them over to their sin.
God withdraws His restraining hand on these disobedient idolaters, and permits them to continue in and plunge more deeply into the sins they have set their hearts to committing.
What happens is that “God hands over the sinner to the terrible cycle of ever-increasing sin” (Moo).
A. They Dishonor Their Bodies (1:24b)
This is the acting out of what is from the lust of the heart and the impurity that God gave them up to.
What we see being taught in this passage is that sexual sin is a result of the rejection of God and a failure to glorify Him. You know that the sin of adultery and pornography and other sexual sins are so common in our world today.
Because people did not honor God, He gave their bodies over to be dishonored.
This is a consequence of rejecting God.
B. They Exchange the Truth About God for a Lie (1:25a)
The word exchange is used repeatedly in this passage (vv. 23, 25, 26).
Back in v. 23 we see that they exchange the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, animals, creeping things. They exchange what is priceless for something that is worthless and corrupt.
Here, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie.
Because man would rather believe in a lie, God gave them up to the consequences of their choice. The truth about God is what we need to know to obey God.
Next, we see the next thing they did as a result.
C. They Worship and Serve the Creature Rather than the Creator (1:25b)
I mentioned previously that God made human beings to be worshipful creatures.
Human beings were originally made to worship God, but because they chose to reject God for a lie, they worship the creature rather than the Creator.
What or who you worship is who you serve.
If you worship God, you serve God, but if you worship the creature, idols, then you will serve them.
There is no such thing as a free agent. Either you are a slave of God or you are a slave to your idols. Everyone is worshipping something or someone and serving something or someone.
Paul adds a benediction or blessing at the end of the verse, something that is common in rabbinical literature.
He only does this two other times (Rom 9:5; 2 Cor 11:31).
Paul wants to highlight that God alone deserves our praise or blessing.
II. God Gave Them Up to Dishonorable Passions (1:26-27)
Once again, because man did not honor God, He gave them up to dishonorable passions.
It is remarkable that what once was dishonorable is now considered honorable.
What are we talking about?
The normalization of homosexuality.
A. Their Women Exchanged Natural Relations for Unnatural Ones (1:26)
Natural relations would be for biological women to be attracted to biological men. But they have exchanged it for unnatural ones which would include women having relationships with women whether biological or otherwise.
This is the third time the word “exchange” is used.
What is natural in this case refers to God’s original intention for men and women, given all the way back in Gen 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Homosexuality is therefore a violation of God’s created order and because these men and women insist on indulging in their unnatural desires, God gave them up to it.
The rise of the normalization of homosexual lifestyle is the wrath of God being displayed as God gives them up to their dishonorable passions.
B. Their Men Commit Shameless Acts with Men (1:27)
This sin plagues both women and men.
Men are consumed with passion for other men, and they commit shameless acts with men. What was once considered shameless is now worn proudly as a badge of honor.
But Scripture is clear:
Lev 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Lev 20:13 “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”
1 Cor 6:9-10
9 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Tim 1:9-10
9 “understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,
10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine”.
That is why Paul says that they are receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
By calling this an “error,” Paul is by no means diminishing the seriousness of this sin.
This word is often used to refer to the sins of the unbelievers.
For example, in 2 Pet 3:17, “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.”
By stating that these people are receiving “in themselves” the due penalty, Paul could be suggesting that this sexual perversion itself is the punishment. On the other hand, it could refer to the judgment that they will receive for their sin.
I think both are in view here.
III. God Gave Them Up to A Debased Mind (1:28-32)
“Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God”:
Once again the wrath of God poured out on these rebels because they did not acknowledge God (lit, “to have God in knowledge”).
What Paul means by acknowledging God is what he referred to back in v. 21, they did not honor (glorify) God or give thanks to Him.
So on that basis, God gave them up to a debased (worthless) mind.
This “is a mind so debilitated and corrupted as to be a quite untrustworthy guide in moral decisions” (Cranfield). And people who choose not to acknowledge God end up with worthless minds regardless of how brilliant they may be.
What does it mean for them to have a debased mind?
They are unable to obey God or please Him; rather, they do the things that ought not to be done. The things that we are talking about in this passage.
A. They are Depraved (1:29-31)
You will notice that there is a list of items in vv. 29-31.
There are several of these lists in the NT, but this is the longest of them all. This list is a general and broad description of human sin.
These are the things that “ought not to be done.”
As one scholar observed, “Sin tumbles over sin with dizzying speed and the human desire to rebel against God seems to be the only unifying principle of this otherwise chaotic activity.”
This list can be divided into four parts.
1. What They Are Filled With: General Description (1:29a)
“They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness (God’s wrath is poured out against ungodliness and unrighteousness (1:18), evil, covetousness (which is idolatry Col 3:5), malice.”
These are all very general words used to describe the things that ought not be done.
2. What They Are Full of: Envy and Its Consequences (1:29b)
The early church father Chrysostom notes that people are not just wicked; they are full of wickedness.
“They are filled with envy, murder, strive, deceit, maliciousness.” This next group talks about envy and the results of it. People can kill because of envy, and we know that strife and quarreling can also be a result of envy.
Envy can lead to all kinds of deception and maliciousness between people.
3. What They are Identified As: Pride and its manifestations (1:30)
Gossips and Slanderers:
Sins of the tongue that may be motivated by a self-righteous attitude.
Haters of God:
They want to be totally autonomous from God.
Insolent:
Arrogant and stubborn
Haughty and Boastful:
Pride
Inventors of Evil:
Pride in their ability and creativity in promoting evil
Disobedient to Parents:
Arrogance over parents
4. What They Lack: Four “less” (1:31)
Foolish (Senseless):
Lit., without understanding. The fool says there is no God.
Faithless:
Without faithfulness. Someone who refuses to abide by covenants and agreements.
Heartless:
Without affection. No love for family relations.
Ruthless:
Without mercy.
Have you met people who fit the description here?
Perhaps some of you will say that these people are very common in the world.
In fact, it is so common that people in the world expect these kinds of things to be done.
They are surprised when people act otherwise.
Which is why it is so important for believers to live out a life that is drastically different from that of the world.
That is in part what it means to be salt and light in the world.
B. They Encourage Others to Join in Their Depraved Acts (1:32)
People who practice such things know that they are doing wrong.
How do they know?
They have a God-given conscience that informs them of God’s righteous decree. They know that what they do is in violation of God’s righteous decree and that the just consequence is death.
But they have seared their conscience and suppressed and perverted the truth that they no longer feel any guilt for what they do.
So they shamelessly practice these things themselves, but they also give approval to (commend) those who practice them.
Paul is suggesting that it is worse to commend evil than to do it yourself.
That is because rather than just committing these sins privately, one is openly encouraging and supporting these things to be done.
Think about the vast opportunities that allow people’s voices to be heard today.
With social media, everybody has a voice. The more provocative the content, the greater the chance for it to go viral. They promote their causes and use slogans very effectively and their influence is extremely powerful.
We may not even realize the influence their messages have on us and our children.
Look at how the perception of the LGBT lifestyle has changed so much that our government has repealed S377A and that any disagreement would deem you a hater and bigot.
Applications
1. We work so hard to protect our children in the physical world, but what are we doing to protect them in the virtual world? I submit to you that the virtual world is far more dangerous than the physical world that we are living in.
Parents, what are you doing to protect your children from the onslaught of these influences?
I am not just talking about keeping them from such content, although we need to think about that.
But how are we equipping them to respond when they are faced with such content?
Our church will do what it can to partner parents, but it is primarily the parents’ responsibility to disciple their children.
2. I also want to say a word to those who may be struggling with same-sex attraction.
Perhaps you didn’t see it as a sin, but I trust you see that the Bible is very clear that it is; this is God’s perspective on this lifestyle.
Perhaps you are convinced that this is a sin and you are struggling with it, you want to say no to it.
I want to let you know that this sin is not more horrible than when a man lusts after another woman who is not his wife, or when a person struggles with bitterness and hatred towards another person.
The reason homosexuality is highlighted in our society is because it has become an idol of our day.
It is our society’s reigning idol.
You may say that you think you are born like this.
The fact is, we are all born with a sin nature and we are all dealing with the particular manifestations of that sin nature in us. In your case, it may show up as same-sex attraction, in another case, it may be something totally different.
You have to first agree with God that this is sin and that what society says is wrong.
And just like any other sin, it should be confessed and forsaken, and you should seek an accountability partner with whom you can share your struggles. What is needed is honesty, transparency, and vulnerability.
Accept the way God made you and stop wishing you were another gender. Ask God to restore wholesome feelings to you.
That is asking in line with His will.
3. Perhaps there are some believers here this morning and you are distressed over what has been happening in our society.
How should we respond?
Like Paul, we must never be ashamed of the gospel.
What these people need is Christ and the good news of the gospel.
Notice what Paul says after 1 Cor 6:9, 10, he says in v. 11 “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
But you say, “I feel so alone, it is like I am the only one among my classmates who hold to the biblical position. I feel so out of place.”
I want to encourage you because that means you are making a stand for the Lord Jesus.
Like Daniel and his three friends who alone refused to bow to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, you are standing for the Lord even if it means doing so alone.
But that leads me to say that it is why the community of believers is even more important than ever.
You may feel alone out there in the world, but you are not alone here!
There are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who hold to the same convictions as you do. You have a group here that you can belong to.
As we see the rapid downward slide of our society towards destruction, we also see a corresponding relegation of the local church to an increasingly smaller and smaller part of–-not society–-but of a believer’s life.
And we wonder why we feel so discouraged and lonely?
Even as Christians, we have departed from God’s design for the local church.
Conclusion
We have seen from this passage that the way by which God displays His wrath is to let people have what they insist on having.
When you ask God for something and He says no to you, it is actually a blessing and a mark of His love for you because what you ask for is not good for you.
It is a frightening thing when God says, “Alright, you insist on having this, I am not going to stop you.”
God doesn’t have to do much to judge mankind; all He has to do is to remove His restraining hand on them and they will self-destruct.
Let those with ears to hear, listen and heed.
For Personal Reflection
How does this passage illumine what we are observing in our current society?
As parents, how can we protect our children from and equip them to face the dangers of the virtual world?
How can we as a church encourage one another to not be ashamed of the gospel and stand for truth in this world?
Comments