Romans 1:18-32
God's Wrath on Unrighteousness
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 what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
God is not only a God of love, but of wrath also. His wrath is aimed squarely at sin which corrupts all of His creation made to be good that was infused with rebellion and its consequences of death and judgment. Here the word makes it plain to see how ungodliness and unrighteousness is hated from on high and how we have no excuse to question why. He has made Himself known in the works of His hands and shown these things to us to see and understand how we should worship Him in doing what reflects His character of goodness and a right heart and actions in life in response. Anything otherwise is rejection of Him and His will for us and this corrupts everything (Romans 8:21-22) around us made to be good (Genesis 1:31) in the beginning. The goodness and righteous attributes of God are still visible in His creation by its very intricate design and self-sustaining nature but mankind instead worships the creation instead of the Creator even though we see Him in every piece of His handiwork! His eternal power and godhead are on display for us to see and appreciate in response and this understanding is what holds us accountable and without excuse for our sin of worshipping anything other than Him. This is why idolatry and immorality are so abhorrent to our Lord God in our disregard and lack of worshipful appreciation of Him and willing obedience to the One who gives us life and being. Our lack of thanksgiving to Him and giving God the glory for all of creation leads us to foolishness eclipsing our hearts from His light and our thinking and reasoning are corrupted into utter futility as we substitute other reasons for existence and the creation we rename as mother nature and purposeless evolution as if God does not exist! This blindness led to us all being born in sin as sons and daughters of Adam and God had given us up to the consequences of serving our own imagination over Him as we dishonor our bodies with immorality in rejecting His pattern of life and worship. We have exchanged His truth for a lie in idol fantasies and miss the mark of serving our Maker in truth and love. He has therefore taken our rejection of Him and turned it back upon us in a debased mind “to do those things which are not fitting” as it is written here. Homosexuality is defined even if the word in Hebrew and Greek is not the same as we use now; the meaning and description is exactly what God means by vile passion, the natural use of the body twisted out of the way into misuse against His design of one woman to one man, and men committing shameful acts with each other where the parts do not fit as designed with the implication of sodomy laid out for us to flee or face the consequences for. These acts and thinking leave God out of our minds no matter how we attempt to force Him into accepting or even condoning our sinful misuse of His creation. This debased mind pushes our God from their hearts and minds which leads to further confusion and corruption. A litany of ungodly and unrighteous qualities are listed here that have become acceptable to many and even worshipped as human rights to others. They all are in opposition to God and His character as designed for us to imitate. Furthermore, those who do these things ignore the righteous justice and judgment of God and deny the spiritual death penalty they earn as a result. They go further to glorify and encourage such rebellion that others may join them on the wide way to destruction! That is the world we see now as it was then and is only getting worse as people magnify sin and refuse to glorify and honor Him in righteous obedience to please their Maker. Only Jesus Christ can take this just punishment on Himself to spare us, and if we are known by Him we will flee these sinful things (2 Timothy 2:19). These verses then are a wake up call to those being called as a warning of accountability and consequences. They are not a weapon to attack sinners (which we all are), but a direct warning for all who read and hear to flee sin and turn to Him who made us in rightful worship and living. Though God is wrath, He also is love. That is why He gave His only Son in our place on the cross to take on the wrath and punishment on our sin and die for us that we may live forever with Him. On the day of His resurrection Jesus proved this hope that springs eternal in us and for us to follow after our own deaths if we are found in Him before then. Turn from sin to Him in repentance and faith and live (Ezekiel 18:23, 33:11, Acts 3:19)!
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