Romans 1:22-32, “The Epitome of Godlessness & Unrighteousness!”
In Romans 1:22-32, three times (vv. 24, 26, 28), it says, "God gave them
over," meaning, they were ”abandoned by God." What does that mean exactly
Please turn with me to Proverbs 1:22-33.
All who turn their back on, i.e., reject, the wisdom and power and revelation of
God, are abandoned by God to the consequences of their own godless ways.
In Matthew 15:14, speaking about the Pharisees, Jesus says, “Leave them;
they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Those who oppose and reject God’s revelation force God’s abandonment, for
they purposefully turn away from, rejecting, His revelation, which has been made
plain and evident to them. God allows them to be given over to their own depravity
and destruction.
Romans 1:22-32 is probably the most graphic and comprehensive expression
in Scripture of people being abandoned by God.
We see the same symptoms of God’s abandonment in the society and culture of
the United States: moral chaos, gender confusion, spiritual darkness, depravity.
Three times it says, "God gave them over.” The meaning here is similar to that
of judgement being made upon a criminal prior to handing him over for punishment
or execution (Mark 15:15), “[Pilate] handed [Jesus] over to be crucified.” Man’s
willful rejection of God’s truth releases God’s wrath against both the people and the
society that fails to confront its sins.
Sin and rebellion toward God is increasing in our nation and it is being tolerated,
even protected, by our government.
God is allowing our nation to bring its own destruction - a nation founded and
built on it's belief in God and adherence to His Word has turned against God,
becoming an enemy of God, where sinning people are allowed the freedom to sin
more and more blatantly and perversely.
Look again at verse 24: irreverence toward God, moral corruption, sexual
perversion, lewdness, pornography; these don’t just exist, but they are being
allowed to be practiced in our society. This should not be!
The sinful condition of man’s heart leads him to dishonor his body. Jesus says
(Matthew 15:18-19; Luke 6:45), it is a man’s heart that defiles him, “evil
thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander,” these
reflect a godless heart.
When the heart is wicked and unrestrained the body will seek to fulfill is
passions and desires without restraint.
Look at the second part of verse 26, ”For their women exchanged the natural
function for that which is unnatural." Paul declares just how far unrestrained and
uncontrolled desires will go, gross affections, perverted and degenerate, will take
over and use the body, intended for God’s glory, for unthinkable, unnatural,
immoral godlessness - this is clearly talking about homosexuality.
Paul begins with a condemnation upon women, for they are a minority in
homosexuality, compared to the percentage of men who are engaged in this sin.
This diagnosis could as well be made concerning what is going in America, and
to say that in our society, women have become so debased that they engage in
lesbianism, is likened to the diagnosis of a malignant and terminal cancer that shall
most certainly end in death and destruction.
And then, verse 27, “In the same way the men also abandoned natural
relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed
indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their
perversion.” Did you see that? They received the due penalty for their perversion!
AIDS is a consequence and penalty for this profane behavior. God has
abandoned all who do such things to the consequences of their own sin.
God’s restraining grace is pulled away, those who do such things are destroyed
morally, mentally, emotionally, physically, ultimately and eternally, for they die in
their sin only to stand guilty before a holy and righteous God!
The downward spiral resulting from the rejection of God’s plan and purpose for
men and women plunges them deeper into the cesspool of all that is evil and
unholy. Look at verse 28, “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to
retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what
ought not to be done.”
A depraved mind is void of conscience, it is immoral, irrational, unable to think
straight, crooked, broken, all ability to reason about life and moral choices is gone.
There are many people like this in leadership positions throughout our culture.
Look again, verses 29-31, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness,
evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they
invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless,
heartless, ruthless.”
Turn to 2Timothy 3:1-5, notice, the command? Have nothing to do with them!
The endgame is progression into darkness and corruption (vv. 12-13), “everyone
who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and
impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
This is an evaluation of our nation and culture, with a rise of persecution against
Bible believing and practicing Christians across the world.
In America we see God’s abandonment and the consequences of its depravity so
clearly expressed by its insolence, impudence, impertinence, and irreverence.
The epitome of godlessness and unrighteousness is expressed in verse 32,
"Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve
death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who
practice them."
That should alarm you! No conscience! No fear of God! People without any
morals or ability to reason, lacking all understanding, becoming and acting like
animals, mindless and heartless beasts.
2Peter 2:12-13, “They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be
caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. They will be paid back
with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in
broad daylight. They are blots and
blemishes, reveling in their pleasures.”
Wow! I think Peter hit it on the head here. Do you know what it means to
carouse? Webster says, it is to “drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy
oneself with others in a noisy, lively way.”
Those who live this way have no shame, they act in immoral, even depraved
ways, demanding that our nation accept and allow them to do so; and more than
that, they shove it in the face of the true Church of God, expecting us to just grin
and bear their perversion. When a society allows such a cesspool of moral
depravity to exist, this is a clear sign of God’s abandonment (see Jude 7).
Our once great nation, has abandoned God’s plan, purpose, precepts, provisions,
and protection.
Our society has become much more accepting of homosexuality, even same-sex
unions, and now before the Supreme Court is a mandate that homosexual [samesex]
unions will be considered marriages, equal with the God-ordained union or
marriage of a man and a woman, which is (Hebrews 13:4), is to be “honored by all,
and the marriage bed [is to be] kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all
the sexually immoral.” Any sexual relationship outside of a God defined marriage
between a man and a woman, is condemned as grievous immorality!
What we're experiencing in our nation is God giving us over to our immoral,
irrational, sinful, and godless ways.
The people of this nation have repeatedly voted a godless and immoral man into
office of President; several of them, for a second term. I think God is clearly and
loudly saying, ”You want it, you got it, abandonment!”
Alice Cooper sang a song with these lyrics: “You want it, you got it… anything
can be arranged.”
The group Rancid Lyrics sings a song with these words: “You want it, We got it
This is the place, where everyone can belong. You want it, we got it!
The Detroit Emeralds sang, “You want it, you got it, just ask me, baby. Just tell
me what you want, say it loud, [say it] clear. I'm willing to bet my soul, what you
want, I got it here. If I ain’t got it, I’ll find it!”
Then there are all those McDonalds’ slogans over the years, like, “McDonald’s is
your kind of place.” “You deserve a break today.” “Nobody can do it like McDonald’s
can.” “We do it all for you.” But the longest running slogan is, you guessed it,
“What you want is what you get (March 17, 1992 – October 15, 1997).
America is getting just what it deserves, God’s abandonment (see Romans
1:18-32). Did you notice, verse 19, “since what may be known about God is plain
to them, because God has made it plain to them.” And verse 32, “Although they
know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not
only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
The problem is not that mankind is ignorant of God’s existence, God’s nature or
God’s law, but that mankind continues to suppress and reject the revelation of
God’s law in their heart, the revelation of God in creation, and the revelation of God
in His Word: spoken, written, and living (Jesus Christ the Lord)!
Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are
corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”
But you know, there is hope for the people in our nation, and there is hope for
every living person on this earth. As Christians, we must be more prayerful and
more proactive in our faith and life - proclaiming the gospel of Christ, living as
witnesses of the resurrected Lord in obedience to God’s revealed Word.
If the tide of godlessness and unrighteousness is not turned back, the resulting
release of the wrath of God will consume our society, our nation, and our world.
Titus 2:11-15, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all
men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live selfcontrolled,
upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed
hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave
himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people
that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you
should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise
you.”
God’s Blessings,
Pastor Mike
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