Romans 1:26-27God leave us to be driven by our passions without His correction. If our passion is not for God then it will be misdirected toward the creation instead of the Creator.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Here we see homosexuality in view and the Roman culture had at least as big an issue with this as we do. Here Paul presents a radical contrast for a Roman church member. As long as the sex was an upper class male to a lower class male or female it was considered acceptable. Within a social class or any sort of homosexuality in women was considered disgusting. Here Paul is drawing equivalence between female and male homosexuality using the term “likewise” and for his Roman readers that would have been a tremendous shock. It is difficult to think of exactly what sins would cause such an extreme reaction in our day. Perhaps pedophilia presented first to provoke in us the reaction of disgust the Romans felt for lesbianism and then extramarital sex between consenting adults presented as likewise. Most individuals in our culture would protest the equivalence between pedophilia and extramarital sex. We rank our sins according out our standards and not Gods. However we serve a holy God and Paul continues to develop his presentation of the Gospel.
Dishonorable passions in the Christian life will draw God’s discipline and can rule the lives of those who don’t serve Christ. In our lives we are challenged to keep a passion for God as the driving force of our lives. There are plenty of created things that can substitute for God and all of them are sinful if they occupy that primary place that only He should have.
Romans 1:28-32All of these evil characteristics are characteristics of a mind that has set itself against God. We choose to be our own God. We think that we are able to rule (be lord of) our lives apart from Him. The way in which this is manifested is really broad. It ranges from murder to simply being boastful or foolish. It is a sign of the depth of mankind’s rejection of God that we see violence against homosexuals in our day. Both are signs of rejecting God as Lord and the authority of Scripture.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
You can pray for God to keep us far from all this stuff. Pray that God would teach us to be righteous, good, sharing, kind, happy with what we have, gentle, peace loving, honest, kind, not gossipers, thinking the best of others, respectful, humble, speaking with humility, looking for ways to do good, respectful of parents, wise, faithful, tender hearted, and open. As God answers our prayer we can’t expect those who have refused to acknowledge God to think we have made wise decisions.
In addition to praying those things, remember this week to be a servant of God. Remember to make Him Lord in your life and be surrendered to him. Pray that God will use you like He used Paul to reach the lost.
Romans 2:1Remember that whenever you see a “therefore” you need to consider the logic of what the apostle is saying. Paul is pointing back at all the effects of rejecting Christ as Lord and saying that all those sins uniformly condemn all outside of Christ. You can’t argue that at least you were not a murderer and therefore OK. All those sins are manifestations of abandoning Christ. I was meditating on these things and thinking that for me treason against your nation is a sin that I really find grievous. I don’t understand how someone would do that and severe penalties seem reasonable to me. However, I know a teacher who refers to sin as treason and as I thought of these things I realized that my sin against God was truly treason and of course I have been redeemed by His Grace and that makes it even more horrible. Who has committed the most evil treason me or the man who only commits treason against a human institution? I have no excuse when I judge another for in passing judgment on another I condemn myself because I practice the very same things. God’s mercy endures forever but apart from His Grace I deserve only judgement.
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.
Romans 2:2Everyone is condemned by their sins and standing outside Christ and condemning those who are outside Christ is foolish since God says all are subject to the same righteous judgment.
We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
Romans 2:4-5To be outside Christ and to assume that you are righteous enough for heaven is a dangerous place to be and if you stay long enough it is eternally fatal. Generally we do assume that. We feel righteous enough and therefore we are satisfied with ourselves and don’t recognize that God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. So it backfires on us. We are satisfied with our self righteousness and therefore we are storing up wrath for judgment day.
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
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