1:24
“Therefore God also gave them up …”
Therefore. The wrath is coming. We deserve the wrath that is coming. Why? Well, men knew the truth of God and suppressed it. They could see His attributes, but they ignored Him. They did not glorify Him. They were not thankful to Him. They thought they were so wise, but were really fools. They began worshiping, but not God. They worshiped likenesses of God’s creation. They worshiped themselves and the works of their hands. That’s why the wrath is coming.
Therefore, because of all they did to displace God, tear Him from His Throne, therefore, God gave them up.
“Them”. Who? All the way back to v. 18 for the answer: “… men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. All men.”
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Three times, vs 24, 26, 28 Paul mentions this fact of history. God gave them up.
Gave them up. Abandoned them. Paradidomi. To surrender. To yield up. That is, to entrust, to commit. To transmit. You see the idea?
Paul uses the word elsewhere when he talks about giving up your body to be burned. Of Christ giving Himself up to death. Luke talks about how Paul committed men to prison. Same word. Jesus said, make nice with your enemy or he will deliver you to the judge. Same word. Peter talks about angels who were delivered to chains of darkness. Jesus, says Peter, committed Himself to the Father instead of answering His tormentors in kind. Jesus, says Paul, was delivered up because of our offenses.
Put it all together: Transferring of someone or something from one state to another state. In this passage we learn that God looked at all of mankind, early in His dealings with them, and said, I now transfer you from My tender loving protecting care, to your own devices. You want to be free from Me? You are free. Go for it. I give you up to yourself.
We humans all imagine we would love to be truly free to do anything we want any time we want. That is disastrous thinking, and gives us… the present world, that has freely given itself over to the rule of Satan, the prince and power of the air.
See what happened? God creates, blesses, reveals Himself. Man says no thanks, takes the reins himself and hands them over to the Prince of Darkness.
“…to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts.”
God is holy, pure, clean. If you are released from Him, you become unholy, impure, dirty.
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When God gives you over, you may think you’re getting away with things, but you are not. Your sin finds you out. You thought it was safe sex, but you acquire any number of diseases in the experiencing of it outside of man-woman marriage. The children come and you raise them like the children of hell that you are, and they become a curse instead of the blessing God intended.
Alcohol and drugs turn out to be just what God said of them. Substances that come back to bite you. You gain more sickness, early death.
You want to be unclean and watch the filth of Hollywood, feeding your mind on the cesspool rather than the Scriptures. You will become what you eat mentally.
And speaking of eating, let’s not forget gluttony is still a sin. Eating too much. Eating foods that are known to hurt the human body, all of this brings its own reward.
But humans want to be free. Then be free. Be dirty. Do whatever your little lustful heart desires. Enjoy your life away from Father’s care. Liberty.
But know, said Solomon, that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. God is angry with the sinner every day. Not all of God’s wrath is future. Judgment is built into disobedience. And this abandonment will only get worse after death. Just as the Christian has only a foretaste of Heaven here, so the unbeliever has only a foretaste of hell here.
How often have you been to an unbeliever’s funeral, and heard, “Well his troubles are over now. He had it hard here, with his AIDS, with his Diabetes, his liver trouble, but now He will be happy and healthy, and Daddy-God will just love on Him forever.”
No. Adam’s race has been abandoned to itself. Its judgment begins here and multiplies there.
Mankind took the blessings of God and turned them into something evil,
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“to dishonor their bodies among themselves…”
Look at the progression downward. You can tell where a nation or a person is in his descent into evil by just reading this passage. First man suppresses the truth about God. He does not glorify or even thank God, the true God, for anything. He fills his head with vain empty thoughts. He boasts of his wisdom and becomes a fool. He enters into full-blown idolatry. God responds by allowing him to respond to himself, not to God. Then he starts the slow self-destruction of his own body.
The dishonoring of the human body is a sin. God made the human body and said, “That’s good. I like that.” Anything done against the body is done against the will of God. Substances taken into the body that shorten the life-span, whether smoke or drink or drug, say to God, “I don’t honor this body as you honor it.”
Gluttons are not exempt here. Over-eating is a Western sin, one that cannot be committed by huge portions of the world’s population. But we can commit it, and do, regularly. Over-consumption of sugar and other otherwise good substances, is offensive to God and dishonoring to the body. Christian! Get a hold of your diet! Stop making the same mistakes the world makes! Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Honor it!
But although I speak “a” truth here, it is not “the” truth, the full truth, of this passage. First a look at the words translated in the KJV, “between themselves.” They dishonored their bodies between themselves. NKJV, Amplified, Rheims, New RSV, and others say “among” themselves, which is essentially the same.
The NIV has it, “the degrading of their bodies with one another.” The NAB says, “the mutual degradation of their bodies.”
Trouble is, the word that is translated “between” or “among” is the little Greek preposition en The basic meaning of which is “in.” A few have left it just that way. And maybe we can lump together anything that harms the body here.
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But combined with “themselves” there seems still to be the suggestion that this is a mutual problem, that is, a sexual one. Not something we do by ourselves, but with assistance from another human being, we dishonor God’s creation.
Sexual sin will be definitely indicated in the next level down (verse 26). Probably here, too, but perhaps, here, in what we would call normal sexual behavior, but outside of marriage. That is, fornication. adultery. Sexually, this is the first step away from God’s plan.
1 Corinthians 6 is the parallel passage. A simple reading of verses 18-20 puts all of this into perspective:
“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body [ Romans says “dishonors” his body. Same idea. ]… your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit… you are not your own… you were bought… glorify God in your body…”
So man descends. Now he is harming his own God-given body. Paul next tells us a little more of how this all came about:
1:25
“who exchanged the truth of God for the lie…”
Notice here that the sentence continues from verse 24. “…God gave them up to uncleanness… who exchanged the truth of God for the lie…” Who did God give up? The ones who had the truth, but believed the lie.
What truth? The truth they suppressed, verse 18-21. The truth about Who God is, His invisible attributes that were clearly seen in nature. Here, instead of “suppressed” Paul uses the imagery of “exchanging”. Like going to God’s store and saying, Here, God, I don’t want this truth. Let me exchange it for a lie.
Trouble is, there are no lies in Heaven for God to give out. They had to get those lies, verse 21, through the futility, vanity of their thoughts, through
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their wild imaginations. And of course the father of lies was present and putting those lies out there within reach of humanity.
This pattern continues through the course of history. God gives truth, Satan says, “Is that really true?” and man questions and searches out other “truths.” Look at Jeremiah 13:25. God’s own chosen people fell from truth and God says to them,
“… you have forgotten Me and trusted in falsehood.”
It’s in the church of our day. Christian leaders are exchanging truth for the lies of our culture. Macarthur tells of an advice columnist who was asked by a sincere Christian, How can I deal with these sexual desires and still hold on to my Christian faith. The inquirer was in a relationship and was hoping for some tips about self-restraint.
The columnist had a Christian counselor on her staff and referred the question to her. Her advice, “Such decisions are up to each couple to make for themselves… sex in a loving relationship is all right without the sanction of marriage.”
How many people hearing such advice will immediately conclude that their relationship is not loving? No, they’ll hear what they want to hear from men, and exchange the truth of God for the lie. The lie: You are your own person. Do what feels right and good. The truth: You were bought with a price. Glorify God in your body. Keep that body for the one man or woman that God has for you.
Truth is difficult to obey, but eventually easy to enjoy. Lies are easy to follow, but eventually difficult to digest. Mankind over the years, says Paul, wanted the lie, embraced the lie, and in so doing,
“…and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
Paul has already brought all this out in verse 23. Nothing new here, except that last part, “Who is blessed forever.” Where did that come from?
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Macarthur suggests that Paul is coming up for air! He’s been talking for a while now about the evils of men, how they do not glorify or thank this Glorious Creator. Paul decides that what they won’t do, he will do, right here and now!
As though he were saying, I don’t care what the world thinks about my God, I know He is blessed forever and I’m going to say so! A wonderful break in the flow of things. But, armed with that light, we have to descend a while back into the darkness that continues and gets worse in verse 26.
1:26
“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions…”
What is about to follow in the text is referred to in various translations as “vile affections”, “degrading passions”, “shameful affections”, “shameful lusts”. The Greek word, ah-tee-mos, is the opposite of the word tee-mos, which means “honor”. Put an alpha in front of many Greek words, and you have negated it. A-timos is dishonor. Despised. Reproachful.
Shameful.
What follows in the text is different in degree from what has preceded, in verse 24. Uncleanness, fornication, sexual immorality outside of marriage, other sins against the body, all bad. But we’re taking another step down. A big step.
Affections, passions, even desires. Those are neutral words, like religion, personality, etc. They can be good or bad. Sexual relationships in marriage, man plus woman, very good. God approves and wants this for all but a select few of His people.
But affections can be vile, degraded, dishonorable. Men can turn away from God’s usage of the gifts He gives. He can get bored with the Divine plan. He goes outside of marriage. That does not satisfy, so he seeks more satisfaction in perverted lifestyles.
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Trying to be human, “up with people”, mankind becomes dehumanized and twisted in his thinking. Thinking he is progressive, mankind degenerates.
The vileness Paul is about to describe has been with us for a long time. In America we were spared for many generations from a serious outbreak of it. In my lifetime it has come from a closet sin, hated and/or ridiculed, to the law of the land, celebrated in parades and rallies, protected by the legal system, the media, and by a fearful populace who dare not speak against it for fear that they will be accused of a hate crime.
Let’s go on record. We do hate what God hates. And God hates sin of all sorts, including this one.
In Canada, some have been arrested for speaking out against this. Cases are in our own courts now to decide just what are the rights, not of the gay community, but of the non-gay community. Suddenly the Biblical standard is being asked to justify itself, instead of the anti-Biblical people being asked to do so.
This is what happens when God gives up mankind, and allows him to seek his own devices.
Next, a shocking statement, for some:
“… for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature…”
Shocking, not because we find here that women are involved in lesbian relationships, but because they are mentioned first. Commentaries look at the word “even” and conclude that Paul is mentioning the females first for this very shock value that I mention.
But in fairness we must say that “even” is a word that should not have been in the text. There is a Greek word there, but nowhere in the New Testament is “even” a translation for that word. Someone was trying to make a smooth understanding for us.
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Actually, te is a little particle word that is used together with another te later in the sentence, and should be translated “both… and”. Both the women and the men perverted the use of sexual relations.
You’ll see that in most translations, the te is not translated at all. Simply, “for their women exchanged etc…”
Once more humanity is showing up at God’s store, as in verse 25, and asking for an exchange. Hey God, we aren’t satisfied with this male- female thing. Can we trade it in for something more to our liking? After all, we were born this way. After all, “one size fits all” won’t work in the 21st century. After all, a person has to seek out his own identity, be his own person.
God says, sorry, don’t have what you want here. But I transfer your order to the other store in the heavenlies. Satan will give you what you want. What you want is against nature. I created a natural world in perfect order. All the animals reproduce after their kind, via male + female. All the creatures that went on the ark, went two by two, male + female. Nature works. Your ideas don’t work. They are unnatural, harmful, sinful, devilish. I have destroyed whole cities, toppled empires when humanity sank to this level. I will do it again.
How bad is it in my country, or what used to be my country? Gary J. Gates, UCLA School of Law, April 2011
Drawing on information from four recent national and two state-level population-based surveys, the analyses suggest that there are more than 8 million adults in the US who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, comprising 3.5% of the adult population. In total, the study suggests that approximately 9 million Americans – roughly the population of New Jersey – identify as LGBT.
Among adults who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, bisexuals comprise a slight majority (1.8% compared to 1.7% who identify as lesbian or gay); women are substantially more likely than men to identify as bisexual;
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estimates of those who report any lifetime same-sex sexual behavior and any same-sex sexual attraction are substantially higher than estimates of those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. There are also nearly 700,000 transgender individuals in the US. An estimated 19 million Americans (8.2%) report that they have engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and nearly 25.6 million Americans (11%) acknowledge at least some same-sex sexual attraction.
One out of every 9 people you meet leans this way? Add to this the growing numbers of the population who approve. Add to this that this report is conservative and seven years old.
1:27
“Likewise also the men…”
Of the 3.5% mentioned above, about 1/3 are women, 2/3 are men. But the “likewise” ties it all together to let us know that initial gender is not the issue. Men and women are capable of this sin.
“…leaving the natural use of the woman…”
No need to be specific here. We know what Paul is talking about. And let us be reminded, that even “the natural use” can be sinful if outside of marriage. Homosexuals need to be told by us that we are not singling out their sin as the only sin, but Paul does indicate here that it is sin, and seemingly a progressively worse sin as he moves on in the chapter.
“… and burned in their desire toward one another…”
Macarthur suggests that the “burning” level of this sort of man is rarely known among heterosexuals. He cites the incident at Sodom, and the constant need for satisfaction of these twisted men.
He states that in the United States and other Western countries, homosexual men may have as many as three hundred partners in a year. The bizarre often occurs, and mutilation is common, says a 1967 book by Marshal Houts.
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Forensic expert Dr. Milton Helpern, not a believer, has performed thousands of autopsies. When he sees brutal multiple-wound cases in a single victim, he knows who is involved. “Burning” is a good word for Paul to have used here. I could find no other place in the New Testament where it is used. It means to “inflame deeply.” In English terms that means “to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or feeling…”
Homosexual action was punishable by death under the Old Covenant. No unrepentant homosexual will enter heaven, says the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and other places).
“… men with men committing what is shameful…”
“Shameful”? Did Paul through the Holy Spirit say shameful? Then why do we see parades called “Gay Pride”? Why does a Catholic-leaning (though probably not officially approved) gay organization call itself “Dignity”?
From their statement of position:
We believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex Catholics in our diversity are members of Christ's mystical body, numbered among the People of God. We have an inherent dignity because God created us, Christ died for us, and the Holy Spirit sanctified us in Baptism, making us temples of the Spirit, and channels through which God's love becomes visible. Because of this, it is our right, our privilege, and our duty to live the sacramental life of the Church, so that we might become more powerful instruments of God's love working among all people.
So if you are a part of the creation, you deserve dignity. Christ died for you. Baptism saves you and makes you a Temple of the Spirit. This is Arminianism gone amuck.
God says your lifestyle is shameful. You say it’s worthy of dignity. Someone is lying. It’s you. But your lie has proved God’s truth here in Romans 1 (verse 21). People who suppress God’s truth become futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts are darkened. They profess to be wise and dignified, but are foolish and full of shame. Only the grace of God or the judgment of God will release men from their lying spirit.
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“…and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”
All sins against the body produce judgment against the body. Smoke long enough, drink long enough, over-eat long enough, pour in sugar and chocolate long enough, your body will eventually be unable to sustain you.
Sexual sin has even greater consequences. Venereal diseases for the fornicators, AIDS for those who burn for other men. From the Center for Disease Control:
In 2014, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men accounted for 83% of primary and secondary syphilis cases where sex of sex partner was known in the United States. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men often get other STDs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. HPV (Human papillomavirus), the most common STD in the United States, is also a concern for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Some types of HPV can cause genital and anal warts and some can lead to the development of anal and oral cancers. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are 17 times more likely to get anal cancer than heterosexual men. Men who are HIV-positive are even more likely than those who do not have HIV to get anal cancer.
We do not appeal to gay or straight men or women to have safe sex. Or to be concerned about disease. We must call on them to repent, to be delivered from this unnatural shameful lifestyle, and enter into a godly way of living through the power of God’s Spirit and His Word.
1:28
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge…”
I think the word “since”, which is justified in the Greek, and fits the transition of the English, is better here. “Since” they did not like to retain God in their knowledge. It’s that way in several translations.
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Not liking to retain God in their knowledge takes us back to verse 18 which talks about suppressing the truth. God reveals Himself to mankind. He, through nature and common sense, man’s own brains, places a knowledge of Himself inside man. Like placing a container in the refrigerator.
But man doesn’t want that container in there. So he reaches in and takes it out, and replaces it with a container of vain imaginations. After a while, God allows those imaginations to take over, as He withdraws His offer of knowledge of Himself. Then comes the idolatry. Then comes the fornication. Then comes the degradation of homosexuality. But wait… there’s more.
“…God gave them over to a debased mind…”
Remember the word timos and atimos, “honor” and “dishonor”. One little letter in the Greek changes the meaning of a word to its opposite. Same here with “debased.” “Reprobate” in the KJV. “Depraved” in other translations. The Greek word is adokimos . And as you have guessed, its opposite is dokimos. And that word means “accepted” or “approved.”
So God, having given them over first to shame their bodies, now turns them over to a mind that is totally unacceptable in Heaven, and on Earth. Macarthur points out that this word is used of metals that are rejected by refiners because of impurities. “That’s unacceptable, get rid of it. To the trash heap!”
This isn’t a mere discrimination between good and bad. This is ultimate rejection by a holy God. “I said I am holy. You must be holy like Me if we are to continue together. But when I give you the choice, you choose the impurities, the evil around you. So go the rest of the way. Let your mind just be filled with all the sin that’s possible. See where it leads you. My Spirit will not always strive with you. You are your own, body and soul, now.”
Tragic, tragic thought. And what do we have? Read the news. Every day, all day long. Criminal man getting worse and worse.
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“…to do those things which are not fitting…”
KJV has it, “convenient.” One of the many KJV words that have long since changed their meaning and cause confusion to modern readers. “Convenient” today means “suited to personal comfort or easy performance.” I went to the store down the street because it was so convenient.
Webster says that the old obsolete meaning of “convenient” is just what the Greek text tells us: suitable, proper, appropriate. That’s why the New King says “fitting.”
And Paul has already told us several things that a debased mind will cause someone to do. When God has released you from Himself and His plans for your life, you have nothing but the fallen human nature to rely upon, and you will do some very bad things.
But wait! There’s more. So much more! There now follows a catalog of the sins of man over the centuries. He’s going somewhere here. There were people then and people now who still did not see themselves in what Paul has outlined so far, the very grossest of sins. Not wanting to leave these people out, he shares the rest of the story…
