28 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. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. – Romans 1:28-32 ESV
This is the third time Paul uses the phrase, “God gave them up.” By this time, we should be able to see the seriousness of Paul's point. If God releases men to live as they wish, separated from Him by rejecting His very existence or re-imagining their own version of Him, the outcome is less-than-ideal. Without God, the one true God, man is left to his own devices, and their foolish heart becomes increasingly darkened. Despite their self-proclaimed wisdom, they become fools, incapable of discerning right from wrong or righteousness from unrighteousness. The prophet Isaiah wrote about these kinds of people in his day.
What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! – Isaiah 5:18 NLT
What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever. – Isaiah 5:20-21 NLT
When a man decides he has no need of God, he loses far more than his awareness of the Creator. The rejection or reinvention of God is a dangerous game to play. The NIV translates verse 28 this way: “they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind.” They basically said, “We don't need God anymore,” so God allowed them to experience life without Him, and “abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done” (NLT).
Without God in their lives, man loses the capacity to think wisely. As Isaiah said, they end up calling evil good and good evil. Their minds become twisted, and their logic becomes skewed. And Paul states that they become “filled” with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice. They literally become “filled to the brim.” Unrighteousness describes anything that is contrary to what God has deemed right or just. Evil has to do with man living out his godless purposes and desires in depraved ways. Covetousness is simply greed or the insatiable need for more; it is the opposite of contentment. Malice is a shameless desire to do others harm.
These characteristics mark those who reject God and manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Paul provides a fairly sobering list: “envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossiping, slander, hate for God, insolence, haughtiness or pride, boasting, invention of evil, disobedience to parents, foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and ruthlessness” (Romans 1:29-30 ESV).
Here's the worst part: not only do they do these things, but they also give their full consent and approval to anyone else who does them. Even though they know “that those who practice such things deserve to die,” they do them anyway. They become driven by unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice. It ends up filling them and overflowing from them.
It was Chrystostom who said, “the one who praises the sin of others is far worse than the one who sins himself” (Chrystostom, Homilies on Romans). Paul warned Timothy that a day would come when people would no longer want to hear the truth. They would look for teachers who would approve of their actions and tell them that their lifestyles were perfectly acceptable.
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. – 2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV
The Greek word Paul used for "myths" is mythos, which refers to something invented, a fiction or falsehood. Without God, men will not only invent their own god, but a different form of righteousness as well. They will determine their own ethical and moral standards, and then seek out those who will tell them that their unrighteous actions are acceptable. That is the world in which we live today. Sadly, there are pastors all across the country who are more than willing to tickle the ears of their congregations, telling them what they want to hear, approving of their lifestyle choices, and, as a result, denying the truth of God.
We live in a day when the cry for tolerance has drowned out God's call for righteousness. We have become accepting and accommodating of all kinds of attitudes and actions that God has deemed unrighteous and unacceptable. It is unloving to allow someone to live according to a lie. It is unmerciful to hide the truth from those who are deceived. It was Jesus who said, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:21-32 NLT). The gospel of God is about the righteousness of God made available to men through the gift of His Son.
Left to his own devices, sinful man will never produce the righteousness that God demands. Even those who claim to believe in God will fail to live up to God's righteous standards. That is why Paul says that all men are without excuse and stand guilty before God.
But the good news is that Jesus came to die for sinners. He came to pay the price for our guilt and to free us from condemnation. But for a man to be free, he must acknowledge the truth of his own sin and accept the gift of God's Son. He must understand the reality of his guilt and the just outcome of his sin: death. Then he must accept the free gift of God's grace and believe that Jesus Christ has paid his debt and replaced his unrighteousness with righteousness. That is the good news, the gospel of God.
Father, in a world where tolerance and a reduced standard of righteousness rule the day, there is an ever-increasing need for the truth of the gospel. Sin is real, whether anyone wants to admit it, and judgment is coming. Your holiness and righteousness do not diminish just because men question Your reality or try to reinvent Your nature. Your judgment against sin remains unchanged, but so does Your solution. Your Son is the only means by which sinful men can be restored to a right relationship with You. Death remains the penalty for unrighteousness, but Jesus gave His life so that sinners could become Your sons and daughters. But this world is full of people who have rejected You as God and who have determined to live according to their own standard. They are blind, ignorant, deceived, and in desperate need of the truth. Empower Your children to take seriously their role as reconcilers. May we become increasingly more bold in proclaiming the good news about Jesus and calling condemned sinners to “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT). Amen
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22