Romans
“The Righteousness of God Revealed”
Romans 1:1-7
“To all who are called saints”
Vs. 1-5a Fourfold description of Paul
Vs. 5b-7 Fourfold effectiveness of the gospel
Intro
There is a story of an African slave who had displeased his owner by attempting to run away numerous times. The owner was so incensed that he planned to kill his slave by running him through with his sword, but before he could accomplish this a stranger stood in front of the slave and took the blow meant for the slave. Though wounded the stranger demanded the freedom of the slave for the wrong done to him saying that his blood was payment for the slave. The owner reluctantly agreed and the slave threw himself down at the feet of the man who by his blood had freed him and said insistently, “You have bought me by your own blood and I shall serve you all my life”. That is the story of Paul’s gospel to the Romans.
Paul spent 10 years from A.D. 47 to 57 evangelizing the territories east and west of the Aegean Sea. During those years he concentrated on the Roman provinces of Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia and Asia. His first campaign concluded with the planting of Churches in Iconium, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth and Ephesus and many other cities in the area. During the winter of 56-57 A.D. Paul spent considerable time in Corinth at the home of Gaius as he prepared to take the offering taken up by those churches to Jerusalem to help in famine relief. During the early days of A.D. 57 Paul used a secretary Tertius (16:22) to dictate his heart to a Church that he had never visited in hopes of preparing a visit in the future. By this time the Church in Rome had already begun to impact Roman society as the wife of a high ranking Roman commander had been acquitted of embracing this so-called superstition. Three years later Paul had the opportunity to visit Rome as a prisoner. Four years after that (seven years after the writing of this letter), Rome was devastated by fire set by the madness of Emperor Nero and he blamed this superstition sect called Christianity as the culprits. This reveals to us the rapid growth of Christianity no doubt enhanced by this letter and Paul’s visit. In the book of Acts chapter 28 Paul comes to Rome and in the 17th verse Paul is seen ministering in Rome. In the 16th chapter of Romans Paul mentions 26 people he knows by name in Rome; no wonder they came to meet him 4 years after the letter was written. Paul’s letter to the Romans is a description of the “Power of God let loose upon the ruin of man.” It boldly proclaims that God through His Son Jesus has found the only way to justify all of ungodly fallen humanity. As long as we think we are good enough to earn heaven or earn God’s favor then we don’t have a chance. Through this glorious letter we will be on that road together as we learn that God has more for us than changing our destination. He wants to change us into the image of the very one who has changed our destiny.
These 16 chapters have “Remodeled” many lives:
Augustine was converted by reading a few verses in the 16th chapter
Martin Luther’s heart was changed by reading one verse 1:16
John Bunyan while in jail studied the letter and was so inspired he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress
John Wesley was reading Luther’s commentary on Romans and was changed
Romans was written 30 years after Jesus’ resurrection some 8 to 10 years before Paul’s death. Based upon Paul’s letter the church was made up partly of Gentiles and partly of Jews. The wide acceptance of the Gentiles into the faith apart from Jewish conversion had been dealt with at the council in Jerusalem many years earlier but the widespread appeal this had upon the Gentiles had not been anticipated as in most churches apart from Jerusalem the gentile believer outnumbered the Jewish believers. This pushed the need to write about the teaching of “Justification by Faith” (1:16-17). The question that loomed big for the early church was “How was it possible in spite of everything that most of the Jews were still rejecting their Messiah?”
Vs. 1-5a Fourfold description of Paul
God is the most important word in this epistle, it occurs 153 times in the book; an average of once every 46 words – this is more frequent than in any other New Testament book.
Paul tells us four things about Jesus who is the gospel:
Vs. 3 He is God’s Son:
Vs. 3 He was born the seed of David according to the flesh
Vs. 4 He was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead: It was the resurrection that revealed to us Who Jesus has always been.
Vs. 1, 3, 6 and 7 Jesus is not only a man he is also the Christ anointed King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Most every New Testament letter follows the same pattern:
First there is the introduction made up of the greetings and thanksgiving. In this case this makes up the first 15 verses and is divided into the greetings in the first seven verses followed by the thanksgiving in verses 8-15.
The next section of the letter is the reason for writing, also called the “statement of purpose”. For the most part these are usually found in proximity to the introduction and will sum up what the main teaching of the letter will be.
After this comes the bulk of the letter or main teaching in which the reason for writing is given in more detail and clarity.
Finally we have the closing of the letter which can be anywhere from a few verses to a whole chapter.
Vs. 1-5a After his conversion, Saul of Tarsus changed his name to Paul. As Saul his name meant “requested one”, as Paul it meant “little”. No one can know for sure the reason for this perhaps it was for ease of travel “accessibility” as Saul being a Jewish name would have made it more difficult to travel. Perhaps the name Paul was a nickname due to his small stature? One thing is certain from Paul’s letters is the name fit his view of himself after his conversion as he no longer saw himself as “The Man in Demand”, instead he saw himself as of “little importance”. Saints, I think there is a lesson in this name for all of us when we become “little” we become much more “accessible” to others! The key to powerful preaching is powerful humility!
Paul gives a fourfold description of himself:
Bondservant of Jesus Christ: He calls himself a servant by choice of Jesus Christ and he does so to a city of over a million people with half of those being slaves. He regarded himself as a purchased possession of his Lord and Master Jesus. As a bondservant he owned nothing, and was nothing apart from his Master. His time, talents and treasures were all the time at the disposal and use of the Master as He saw fit. To any other person such ownership would be despicable and revolting but because it was to the One who had saved him by the shedding of His own blood Paul viewed this position as the greatest one any human could ever experience. If one is a slave of Jesus then they are no longer a slave to the passions and moral depravity of the former life. Thus we must become a slave of Jesus to be freed from this world!
Called to be an apostle: Second Paul identified himself by his calling which was to be sent out as an ambassador of the King of Kings to a world that didn’t recognize His right to reign as King. This means that such a calling was not by Paul’s work or design, his appointment came from none other than Jesus his master.
Paul elsewhere refers to this calling as three fold:
Gal. 1:15 It was at his birth long before Paul was aware of it.
Acts 9:15 Tells us that it was commissioned at his conversion.
Acts 13:2 Tells us that it was specific to the work in Antioch among the Gentiles.
Now you may be called to be His ambassador and be a carpenter, you may be called to be His ambassador and be a school teacher, home maker or you can fill in the blank that fits you.
Separated to the gospel of God: Concentration follows consecration and commission, Paul reveals. As such Paul declares that his one and only purpose of his life was devotion to spreading the “Good News” about his Master. This was his aim and goal in life and he was going to employ every effort and provision supplied by God to accomplish this.
Vs. 5a Through Him we have received grace and apostleship: Here Paul reveals the only needed equipment to accomplish the goal, “Apostolic Grace”. Paul had no worries with regard to the provisions of the task because he knew the task would never be able to outlast God’s provisions to accomplish them.
Vs. 5b-7 Fourfold effectiveness of the gospel
Having given us his fourfold description of himself Paul moves on to a fourfold description of what this was to be used for in verse 5b-6:
For obedience to the faith: This phrase only occurs twice in this letter, here and at the end in 16:26. Faith always implies submission and surrender which always leads to glad obedience. Paul’s aim was to see people gladly surrender their lives over to loving obedience to the Master.
Among all nations: Here we see the range and scope of Paul’s aim; it was universal in nature and not selective. It was not limited by geography or by those within that geography. As such Paul knew no limits within his service to see all he came into contact with hear of His Masters “Goodness” and have the opportunity to know of this “Goodness” personally.
For His Name: It was the Name above all names that Paul was delighted to proclaim because Paul had personally encountered the blessing of acquaintance with His master. This was Paul’s motivation in all he did, to bring honor and glory to the name that had redeemed him and would redeem all who trust in the Name of Jesus.
Among whom you also are called of Jesus Christ: Finally Paul concludes there is personal responsibility to willingly surrender to a relationship with Jesus. Just because Paul was passionately dedicated to his calling and they heard the word didn’t make it automatic that they were going to personally know the love of the Master. They, like Paul, would need to heed the call and appropriate His grace.
Vs. 7 The words “to be,” are in italics which means in the original text they aren’t there and were added by the translators. As such this should read “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints.” There are folks that want to categorize Christians and give some a special title if they meet a certain amount of works. But according to the Bible there are only two categories of people: “Saints” and “Aint’s,” and if you are a believer in Christ then you are a saint. There was a young boy in a church that had beautiful stained glass windows of the so called “saints,” and his Sunday school teacher asked the class “Who are the saints?” and he replied “They are the people who the light shines through.”
In Paul’s time the Greeks would greet each other with the word “grace,” and the Jews would greet each other with the word “peace.” Paul links the two greetings together but places grace before peace as you will never know peace until you have first experienced grace. So if today you find you have no peace I suggest to you what you need is a fresh encounter with Him who is full of Grace and truth! You will have the “Peace from God” when you first have the “Peace of God”. In religion the “Law” shouts “responsibility,” but in relationship the Lord lovingly says, “Just respond and the work will be done because the price has been paid!” And in responding to Jesus’ love you will do more than you ever would under the pressure of the law of religion.
Romans 1:8-17
“I am not ashamed”
Vs. 8-15 Eight characteristics of a transformed heart
Vs. 16-17 A debtor, ready to preach, not ashamed
Intro
Rome was a city where Caesar Nero would dress thousands of Christians in the skins of lambs and throw them to the lions then taunt them by saying, “Where is your Good Shepherd now?” He would dip Christians in hot wax and light them in his garden and say, “Now you are a light of the world.” Rome was the entertainment capital of the world and was so wicked even Hollywood would be forced to blush, where the acceptable greeting of the day was “Caesar is lord”. Yet it is to this place Paul declared that he was not ashamed of the gospel. Faith is not only the starting point of our salvation it is the staying power of our salvation. Paul wrote in Col. 2:6 “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him”. That is why when Paul wrote to the Galatians in 3:3 he said “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
Vs. 8-15 Eight characteristics of a transformed heart
Vs. 8-15 Paul writes of his desire to come to Rome and we are told in Act. 2:10 how there were people from Rome among the Jews present at the Day of Pentecost, so when they returned home that was the start of a church. Along with this, Christians continually migrated to Rome from all parts of the empire. Paul knew many of the Christians in Rome by name but he knew two things about them and every Christian. He knew they were beloved of God and that they were saints. In verses 8-16a as we look at Paul’s words that he wrote about what he was thankful for.
I see eight characteristics of a transformed heart:
Vs. 8 A thankful heart: Paul didn’t say “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for around 40% of you as the other 60% drive me nuts!” Saints, nothing speaks louder of the transformation that God has done in our heart than the love we have for one another! Notice though that he thanked God for their faith spoken throughout the whole world. Such thanksgiving came by way of Jesus, which reminds us that we have the privilege of saying “my God,” because we have made God’s Son our Lord. The evidence of this was in the fact that Paul gave thanks for “all believers”. Dear ones, our thankfulness must not rest upon the circumstance turning out the way we intended but on the fact that said circumstances lay in the nail scared hands of the One who died for us. Paul thanks God, not for their faith unto salvation he thanks God for His work in them as they lived out that faith! The church in Rome wasn’t famous because of their pastor, the size of their congregation or their building. No, they were famous because of the way they lived out who they believed in.
Vs. 9-10a A concerned heart: Though Paul was thankful for what God had been doing, he was prayerful towards God at what still needed to be done. The word “serve” here is also translated worship. The phrase “without ceasing “with regard to prayer speaks of something akin to a tickle in the throat, something reflexive. Friends that is how we should be in our prayer life, when someone irritates you constantly like a cough then just keep clearing your heart of that irritant by speaking to the Father about them until things have cleared up.
Paul concluded two actions as worship:
Speaking of the “goodness of His master” to a world that didn’t know Him. Lifting up prayers on behalf of others without ceasing.
Paul’s worship of God was best seen not in the songs he sang but in speaking to people about God and speaking to God about people! To Paul most of these Christians whom he had ever met were never taken off his prayer chain. Far too often we are committed to prayer for folks when things aren’t going well but here we get encouragement to continue in prayer for folks so that things continue to go well.
Vs. 10b A willing heart: Paul had a heart that was not only willing to pray for folks he was willing to be the answer to the prayer as well. Yet such eagerness to be used by God never went outside God’s plan in doing so. He was ready, willing and available but only according to the will of his Master. Paul never thought of “demanding things from God” or by his prayers trying to sway God away from His perfect will to his imperfect plan.
Vs. 11 A loving heart: Paul wanted to go to Rome to serve the people not to get something from them. In Col. 1:28 Paul explained what his goal was, “everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.” The gift Paul wanted to give them was “spiritual” that would further “establish” them.
Vs. 12 A humble heart: Paul realized that those believers had spiritual gifts that would help establish him as well. Dear ones, the greatest teachers are always the ones that desire to learn more than they desire to teach! Consider this, Paul, one of the greatest theologians, was willing to learn and receive from Roman Christians who were novices in their faith. A teachable heart is that which is willing to receive teaching regardless of who God chooses as the instrument of instruction and is the key to spiritual growth.
Vs. 13 An optimistic heart: Paul tells the Roman Church of his desire and plans to visit them but this was not a social call it was a call to bear fruit. He was a big proponent of “Where God guides, God provides” and believed that God was going to do a work there in Rome. According to Phillip. 4:22 The outcome of that optimism included those from Caesar’s household. We will never accomplish great works for God’s kingdom if we don’t believe that God will enable us to accomplish what He has called us to do.
Vs. 14 A committed heart: Prior to Paul’s conversion Paul was committed to destroying the gospel and anyone that promoted it but after having personally been transformed by the Love of God Paul saw himself a debtor to every person who like him ignorantly or willfully hadn’t encountered the transforming power of the Love of God.
Vs. 15 A ready heart: Paul was not only willing he was eager to fulfill what God had called him too. Life had but one value, “to do God’s work” and this value consumed him. In this letter Paul loves the phrase “I am ready”; it served as his motto in life. In Acts 9:6 the 2nd words out of Paul’s mouth after his conversion were “Lord, what do you want me to do?” In Rom. 1:15 Paul said he was ready to preach and to serve, Act. 21:13Paul said he was ready to suffer, 2 Cor. 10:6 Paul said he was ready to do unpleasant work, 2 Tim. 4:6 Paul said he was ready to die.
Paul would have never guessed that when he would be sent to Rome it would be at the government’s expense. When we pray for something, God may grant us the blessing; but it may be in a way that we never looked for. You shall go to Rome, Paul; but you shall go in chains.”
Vs. 16-17 A debtor, ready to preach, not ashamed
Vs. 16-17 In a sophisticated city like Rome, some might be embarrassed by a gospel centered on a crucified Jewish savior, embraced by the lowest classes of people – but Paul is not ashamed. “For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”. Here was this little Jewish tent maker telling the world about a peasant Jewish man who had died in a manner reserved for the worst of criminals, yet to this Paul says boldly, “I am: a debtor, ready to preach, not ashamed!” And in verse 16 Paul gives his readers four reasons why he felt that way about the message: Its origin: It was the gospel of Christ! Any message that was given by Caesar would have the immediate attention of all Romans. But Paul says this message isn’t just from Christ it is about Christ, who in the very first sentence called the message the gospel of God. Why would anyone be ashamed of a message that originates from God and is about God?
Its operation: It is the power of God! The word “power” is the word from which we get our English word dynamite and Paul says the gospel carries enough power to break through the walls of a hardened heart. But this power is not destructive, it is constructive as it saves people from the bondage of their own passions and past! As powerful as Rome was, one writer of that time described it as “a cesspool of iniquity”. Rome had the power to destroy every nation it encountered but it couldn’t defeat their own sinful passions which were destroying them like a cancer. Paul had seen the gospel work in the darkest reaches of the human soul, and he would write in Col. 1:13 saying, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” Its outcome: Unto Salvation! The word “salvation” had a meaning of personal and national deliverance as the Roman emperor was looked upon as a savior from captivity as a doctor was from illness. But here we see that those two areas are limited as Paul declares this salvation is for everyone. Its outreach: To everyone that believes! Faith is the acknowledgment of our own inability and God’s ability!
As a Christian we can say:
Of the past, “I was saved”
Of the present, I’m being saved
Of the future, I will be saved
And such salvation is from the penalty, power and presence of sin! If you trusted God then you would be saved regardless of whom you were and what you had done. God doesn’t ask people to “behave,” He asks them to “believe” as it is trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross that saves the sinner like me.
Vs. 17 This is the key verse in all of Paul’s letter, the “righteousness of God revealed”. The word “righteousness” is a favorite of Paul’s it is used over 60 times. In the death of Jesus, God revealed His righteousness by punishing sin; and in the resurrection God revealed His righteousness by making salvation available to the believing sinner. This truth is the answer to the question of, “How a Holy God can forgive sinful people and still be holy?” In the law the Jews thought righteousness was by “works,” but as Paul will teach all the law did was reveal that God is Holy and and we are incapable of working out our salvation by being good.
Romans
“The Righteousness of God Revealed”
Romans 1:18-32
“Four Stages of a Godless Society”
Vs. 18-20 Unintelligence
Vs. 21-23 Willful Ignorance
Vs. 24-27 Self Indulgence
Vs. 28-32 Unreligious
Intro
Paul having declared that the “righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith” now from verse 18 to chapter 3:20 proceeds to show his readers that man has no righteousness of his own, both by nature and choice, mankind is completely unsuited to be in the presence of a Holy God. Mankind is guilty and can do nothing to change his condition. If God doesn’t intervene then the case is closed! In verses 18-32 Paul’s view is the pagan gentile world and he declares that they are as a whole ungodly and unrighteous. The greatest peril facing the human race is the wrath of God. When you think of the wrath of God most think of lighting coming down upon someone or condemning someone to hell but in this section we see that God’s judgment upon man is to leave them to what they want! Paul was writing this letter to Roman believers in a city where in the first 520 years of the Roman Empire there had not been one single case of divorce. But things had changed, Roman philosopher Seneca said at this time, “Women were married to be divorced and divorced to be married.”
He went on to say Rome was ,“stricken with the agitation of a soul that could no longer master itself. Money has become the ruin of the true honor of things.” And the Roman poet Juvenal said of this time, “No guilt or deed of lust was wanting since poverty disappeared in Rome.” One Chinese man who had never read the Bible read the first chapter of the book of Romans and told his missionary friend, “I thought you said this book was an old book, how can it be so old if it so accurately speaks about the events going on in China today?” This section is a great example not of evolution but the four stages in man’s devolution!
Vs. 18-20 Unintelligence
1:18-20 Unintelligence: Human history began with mankind knowing God, not man worshipping idols rather than evolving to worship the One True God. God revealed himself through His creation from the things He created. Though mankind knew the truth about God they didn’t allow this truth to work in their lives. Instead they suppressed the truth so that they could live life the way they wanted and not be convicted by God’s truth. The pagan nations are without excuse for their present ignorance and condition because when they knew God, they chose not to thank Him or worship Him. Instead they choose to create gods according to their imaginations, all the while claiming- they were more intelligent than everybody else. For Paul the fear of righteous judgment from a Holy God upon unholy people was the first motivation for people to seek God’s righteousness as they clearly had none of their own. People will not seek out the wonders of God’s available grace until they know the perfect demands of God’s Holy Law. A person has no reason to seek salvation from their sin until they realize its power and penalty over them. We will not ever want the “good news” until we have comprehended truly how “bad the news is about us”.
Paul proves why the human race is guilty before God by using two phrases:
Ungodliness: Which refers to man’s offenses against God
Unrighteousness: Which refers to the sins of man against man
The word “suppress” is a Greek word that means to steer a boat against the current and what this says is that the “current” wants to take us towards the truth about God but our flesh wants to take us in the opposite direction. Vs. 19-20 The phrase “the things that are made” is one word in the Greek, Poima in which we get our English word Poem from. Paul declares that God’s creation is a glorious poem, a work of art that is fitted together in a majestic hymn. The same word is used in Eph. 2:10 where we are told that we are His work of art created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Paganism and idolatry are not steps in human evolution to enlightenment, from “slime to divinity”. God’s creation is His billboard as to His nature as it continually proclaims His character, nature and intentions to His creation. Robert Jastrow, an astrophysicist and director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies said, “We see how the astronomical evidence supports the biblical view of the origin of the world….the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same. Consider the enormousness of the problem: Science has proved the universe exploded into being at a certain moment. It asks what caused this effect? Who or what put matter and energy into the Universe? And science cannot answer these questions….For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of his ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been there for centuries.”
Vs. 21-23 Willful Ignorance
1:21-23 Ignorance: Man knew God but didn’t want to because then He would have to honor God. Mankind is willing to use God’s gifting but only in ways that he will get the praise for it. The result of this is an empty mind and a darkened heart. The first thing that God exchanged the worship of God for was of course himself.
Vs. 22-23 Paul describes the character of fallen man by giving two reasons why everyone is born under God’s judgment:
Professing to be wise, they became fools: Fallen mankind justifies themselves by rationalizing their sin. The evidence supports intelligent design not random chance yet if the atheist and non believer admit that then the logical outcome is that the God that created and designed me would have a specific function and purpose for me. So rather than admit that, people suppress the truth they see all around them so that they can continue living the way they want.
And change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like..: This rejection of God’s truth inevitably leads to fallen man creating his own religion. Natural man is not “basically good” but he is “basically religious”! Anthropology in every corner of our globe and in every culture has proved this; by suppressing the worship of the true God they have instead fashioned icons and idols that represent these four things. Looking at the automotive industry we can see the first cars were named after their makers, “Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, etc.” But as models progressed so too did the names, “T-bird, Hawk, Falcon, Eagle” then changed to four footed things like, “Impala, Rabbit, Cougar”. Then finally it has gone to creepy things, “Cobra, Viper, and Gremlin.”
Vs. 24-27 Self Indulgence
1:24-27 Indulgence: From idolatry to immorality in just one short step. If man is his own god then he can do whatever he pleases to fulfill his desires without the fear of judgment. The natural result of self-deification is always self-indulgence and Paul mentions the sins which were so prevalent in the Roman empire. Because of this God gave them up which means that He permitted them to go on in their sins and reap the sad consequences of their behavior.
Three times we are told that “God gave them up” first to uncleanness and then to vile affections. Then finally we are told that “God gave them over” to a debased mind. If people exchange the truth of God for a lie and worship and serve the creation instead of the Creator the whole order of nature becomes violated.
Vs. 24 First “God gave them over” to widespread sexual immorality. The degrading, dishonoring use of our body for selfish reasons. Immorality is a result of the idolatry that men fall into. When God gives people over to this it means that He allows them to pursue what they want and this seems to always be seen in the area of human sexuality. The societal restraints on morality are removed and people begin to sow their wild oats but God does so that they will realize they can’t do so without reaping the results.
Vs. 25-27 Second “God gave them over” to homosexuality. Because people exchanged the truth of God for a lie they became confused sexually and exchanged the God created procreation and the natural use for intimacy (man for woman and woman for man) for that which is unnatural. When Paul was writing this the Greek philosophers had exchanged the truth of God for a lie such as Socrates. Legal marriage between same gender couples was recognized, and even some of the emperors married other men. At the time of Paul’s writing, Nero had taken a boy named Sporus and had him castrated, then married him (with a full ceremony), brought him to the palace with a great procession, and made the boy his “wife.” Later, Nero lived with another man, and Nero was the “wife.” The lie is that somehow homosexuality is a biological “genetic trait” which cannot be helped and therefore must be encouraged. Paul says that those who practice this behavior receive “the penalty of their error which was due”. One of the things that is noticeable among homosexuality is that they lose their sense of identity as men who are masculine by nature act out as feminine and women who were created feminine begin to act masculine. All of this sexual confusion mars God’s design for male and female.
Vs. 28-32 Unreligious
1:28-32 Impenitence: When mankind began this downfall you would think they would repent and seek the true and living God but just the opposite is true. Because he was left to his own ways by God he only grew worse, so God further gives them over to a depraved mind that cannot discern right from wrong. Paul finishes off by listing 24 specific sins all which are commonly practiced today. They not only do these 24 things they cheer society on in doing them as well.
Vs. 28-32 Finally “God gave them over” to the exploitation of others. In this terrible list of sins are the marks of a civilization on the brink of collapse as they reflect a contempt and arrogant disregard for others, a desire to exploit other people for personal gain. The term “debased mind” in verse 28 literally means a mindset that cannot be lived with as it refuses to fit into any societal boundaries and instead seeks to legalize all and every immoral behavior. The list in Rom. 1:29-31 gives concrete examples of the kind of things which are not fitting. Notice how “socially acceptable” sins such as covetousness, envy and pride are included right along with “socially unacceptable” sins such as murder and being unloving. English Historian Edward Gibbon wrote a 6 volume work called “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire”. He offers an explanation of why the Roman Empire fell makes the observation that 14 out of the last 15 emperors were practicing homosexuals who appointed homosexual generals and commanders. He believed this made all of Rome and especially the military effeminate and easy prey to invading barbarians. All people are born sinners but no one is born a homosexual, in the end there still is a choice.
Saints, do not make the mistake of thinking this passage lists the people God can’t stand. This passage is about showing us the very group of people God desires to redeem. In Luke 17:28-30 Jesus said, “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot… Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” One of the signs of the end times according to Jesus is the celebration of homosexuality. When Paul was writing this letter he was in Corinth where homosexuality was being practiced everywhere yet when the gospel of Christ came in Paul writes 1 Cor. 6:9-11, that though “fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners would not inherit the kingdom of God.” He goes on to say “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”