When it comes time for disciplining children there are all
kinds of tactics that parents choose. Spankings, timeouts, groundings, withholding
privileges, etc. All of these exist in an effort to change bad behaviors and
point the way toward obedience. This is done out of love and for the best
interests of the son or daughter. However, there is another option that is fairly
radical that might be likened to a last resort—give the child exactly what they
want. Rather than adopt the lyrics of the famous rock anthem “you can’t always
get what you want,” some decide to go ahead and grant what is being requested in a
last-stitch effort to teach a hard lesson. This is not done to appease the
child. It is done to show him/her the natural consequences of whatever it is that they
are asking. They want nothing but candy, give them nothing but candy, and
let them experience the stomach ache that follows. They want to stay up all
night, see how much they like it the next day when they are struggling to stay
awake. They want to spend their money on silly things, let them see what it's
like when they can’t afford something they really want or need, but didn’t have
the patience to wait for. Ultimately, this is one poignant way to demonstrate
once and for all that what they want is not always best.
God does the same thing with the stubborn sinner. In light
of the sinner’s customary rejection of God, Romans 1:24-32 reveals that God
endorses this harsh form of punishment and wrath—He gives the sinner exactly
what they want and all of the implications that come with it. Unfortunately,
many, even in spite of this tactic, remain hardened against God. However, those
who learn the hard way that what God offers is best will receive grace and
salvation through faith in Jesus Christ
1) Their Bodies are
Dishonored-1:24-25
One result of a life lived in opposition to God is a
dishonored body—“Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to
impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them,…”(1:24). What
does it mean for God to “give them over” to these things? A note in the NIVSB
says “God allowed sin to run its course as an act of judgment.” This helps
inform what Paul meant earlier when he said “the wrath of God is being
revealed” (1:18). Here, the wrath is made manifest in people receiving the just
fruits of their rebellion. In other words, God allows these to receive exactly
what they are looking for and, as a result, they are carried to the natural
consequences associated.
One commentator puts it this way: God “ceased to hold the boat
as it was dragged by the current of the river” (Godet, Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, 1:177). In the
river of iniquity, people are naturally drawn downstream. Instead of asking for
help out of the river and grabbing hold of the lifeline that is Christ, those
described in Romans 1:18-23 are actively paddling downstream yelling, “let me
go, I want to go downstream!” At a certain point, the anchor of God’s common
grace is detached from their life’s vessel, and people are allowed to gleefully
canoe away from the shore, completely unaware that around the corner is a
waterfall leading to certain death.
As verse 24 admits, one of the things that these run into as
a result of “the lusts of their hearts“ (at the base of the waterfall) is
“impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them” (1:24). Notice, it is their own desire that is
bringing this all about. The verb “desire” (epiqumia)
describes a yearning that, if its object is good, is well placed (see Phil.
1:23; 1 Thess. 2:17). However, if the object is ungodly, it is a burning lust
that leads to all kinds of wickedness. This appears to be the case here. Taken
in this way, sinful desire is a pathogen that afflicts the body, the symptoms
of which include a predisposition to all kinds of unrighteousness.
Here, this results in the body being dishonored. To be sure,
what will soon be described in 1:26-27 is capable of throwing one’s physical
body into very real jeopardy. However, on an even more profound level, sinful
desires land the body (spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally, etc.)
in a desperate situation. What God intended people to use for good—their
bodies—is dishonored by sin and used a vehicle of iniquity. The word used (“atimazw”) means to lower the status of
something or disrespect. Part of the reason God hands people over to their sins
is to cause them to see how these inferior authorities ultimately bring them
down.
Ultimately, this takes place because “they exchanged the
truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen” (1:25). In other words, idolatry is to
blame for this program of sin. Truly, ever act of willful sin is in some ways
idolatrous for, in the moments that these trespasses are committed, God and his
corresponding will/design is replaced with something else –one’s personal
preferences, a high of some kind, another proposed deity, or an another guiding
principle. In the moment of willful sin, something/someone else is feared more
than the one true God and whatever that is becomes in a functional sense, the
god of that moment. Anyone who replaces God with these inferior things worships
the creature rather than the Creator and exchanges the truth for a lie.
The first result of the sinner getting what he or she wants
is a dishonored body. However, this is not the only thing that suffers as a
direct result of the unrepentant sinner getting exactly what he/she asks for.
2) Their Passions are
Perverted-1:26-27
Paul continues and says “for this reason God gave them over
to degrading passions” (1:26a). The repetition of “gave them over” reiterates
the idea that God withdraws from the sinner who willfully continues in
wickedness. In these cases, “The penalty of sin is sin itself with all its
inevitable consequences” (Mounce, 82). Not only do these consequences result in
a dishonored body, but it perverts people’s passions.
One manifestation of this perversion—perhaps the most acute
expression of it—is illustrated in verses 26b-27—“for their women exchanged the
natural function for that which is unnatural, 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,…” (1:26b-27). According to many
commentators, this passages contains the clearest teaching on homosexuality found
in the New Testament. Here, Paul describes the practice as “shameful,”
“unnatural,” “indecent,” and as a “perversion.”
This clear biblical teaching on homosexuality has become
more and more marginalized in our brave new world today. In fact, multiple
surveys and polls suggest that accepting homosexuality and homosexual marriage is
considered normal, appropriate, and on par with accepting hetero-sexual
relationships. Homosexuality has become mainstream according to majority
opinion. This has rendered many in the church unwilling to address this issue
or fearful of advocating for biblical teachings on the subject.
Paul experienced the same pressure in his day. The
Greco-Roman society of Paul’s day not only tolerated homosexuality, some even
argued that it was superior to heterosexuality. In fact, Barclay notes that
“fourteen out of the first fifteen Roman Emperors were homosexuals.” Imagine
how mainstream, commonplace, sought after, and revered this lifestyle must have
been. Imagine how unpopular Paul’s teaching on this subject must have been for
the popular culture.
However, Paul’s teaching was in keeping with what the
Scriptures have always said on the subject. Leviticus 18:22 prohibits
homosexuality and calls it detestable. In fact, one commentator says that “no
feature of pagan society filled the Jew with greater loathing than the
toleration, or rather admiration, of homosexual practices” (Barrett, Romans, 39).
Such a lifestyle is one abhorrent consequence of people
being given license to run with their perverted passions all the way to their
natural end. However, homosexuality as it is a perversion of God’s intended
relationship between man and woman and as it promotes a gross misrepresentation
of Christ and His church, carries its own destructive penalties. This is what
Paul means when he says “receiving in their own persons the due penalty of
their error” (1:27).
When God lets stubborn sinners loose—giving them exactly
what they want—their bodies are dishonored and their passions are perverted.
Respectively, those who endorse a life of sin are made lower than God intended
and in very real danger of allowing their passions to drive them in all kinds
of nefarious directions.
3) Their Minds are
Misguided-1:28-32
When sinners are let loose and given the freedom to do, be,
explore whatever they please, their bodies are dishonored, their passions are
perverted, and finally, their minds are misguided. This happens as a direct
result of people not seeing fit to acknowledge God any longer—“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” (1:28). Again “gave them over”
is repeated to accentuate the fact that God is not beyond allowing people to
experiences the consequences of their own actions. In this particular instance,
when God and his truth is rejected, it leaves the individual’s ability to think
clearly about moral issues totally undermined (Mounce, 84).
On example of this disjunction between God and knowledge is
witnessed in today’s academic climate. Secular education, bereft of any
theological core, has contributed to the cultural regression, skepticism, and
pervasive relativism of our society. Because any mention of God and His Word
has been divorced from science, literature, math, etc. youth are being taught
incomplete systems. Though secular education provides students with abilities
to observe and superficial deal with facts, it is incapable of explaining what
these ultimately mean, what they add up to, and/or why they are there in the first
place.
This is just one modern manifestation of the phenomenon
described in 1:28—“ God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things
which are not proper,…”. It is almost as though God says, “ok, you don’t want
to give me any credit for anything or acknowledge/praise my Name? Lets see how
much sense you can make of this world without me!”
Unfortunately, not much sense will/can be made in this world
without God. This is what Paul observed in his brave new world and it is what
we observe all around us today! Listen to the compendium of
social/relational/political/economic ills that Paul provides in verses 29-31
and tell me this is not the kind of world we are living in today: “being filled
with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, malice; that are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent,
arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without
understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful” (1:29-31). Don’t believe we
live in an unrighteous, wicked, or evil world? Have you watched the news
lately? Don’t believe we are in a greedy world that is full of envy? Take a
look at the pervasive commercialism and materialism that runs the lives of so
many who are just trying to keep up with the Jones’ next door? Don’t believe
that murder, strife, deceit, malice are a big deal? 1000s are murdered in our
urban areas every year, fake news runs rampant, protestors and agitators are
stopping at nothing to incite violence everywhere we look. Don’t believe that
people endorse gossip? You can’t miss it as you check out of the grocery store
on the front pages of magazines and journals—gossip is for sale and it runs a
multi-billion dollar printing industry! Don’t believe that people hate God or
are insolent? Then why is “new atheism” on the rise and Christianity becoming
more marginalized? Don’t think people are all that boastful or arrogant? Then
why do so many post every minor detail of their lives on Facebook or speak as
experts on twitter, foolishly equating “followers” and “likes” with prestige
and self-worth? Don’t believe that some are inventors of evil? Then why are
abortion techniques becoming more barbaric and weapons of mass destruction
becoming more “dirty”? Don’t believe that children are disobedient to their
parents? “Catch me outside, how ‘bout that!” Don’t think that the majority of
people are without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful? Then
why are more confused now than ever before about their gender? Why are more
skeptical of the government than ever before? Why are so many depressed and
feel unloved/unwanted? Why can’t people with differences of opinion have an
honest conversation anymore without it ending in a broken relationship?
My friends we are living in the same world that Paul lived
in—a world in which the majority of people have been handed over to a depraved
mind because they would not honor God.
In fact, it gets even worse—“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”
(1:32). In other words, people in Paul’s day knew things were wrong, joined the
behavior anyway, and gave hearty approval to those who practice such behavior.
This seems no different than people taking up popular offensive memes on
facebook and sharing them with their friends! People today and in Paul’s day,
as a result of being handed over to their depraved mind by God, don’t just
tolerate sin, they endorse it and celebrate it!
So What?
When God hands stubborn sinners
over to their iniquity there are several potentialities that may result: the
human body can be dishonored, passions can be horribly perverted, and minds are
misguided in a myriad of ways. When God pulls up the anchor holding these back
from sheer destruction, unfortunately many gleefully paddle away to their own
demise at the base of the waterfall of judgment that awaits them (unbeknownst to
them). However, those who recognize the error of their ways step off their vessel
of unrighteousness and onto the shore of God’s grace by accepting forgiveness
for wrongdoing and endorsing a new way of life that promises a glorified body,
satisfied passions, and a transformed mind.
Are you still on the boat today?
Has God pulled up your anchor? There is a waterfall around the corner that the
current can’t resist.
You can’t always get what you
want, and maybe that is a good thing. What really matters is that we have what we
need—Jesus Christ!
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