The epistle’s greeting (the first seven verses) is essentially one long sentence in the Greek. Here Paul does something a little different in this greeting than what is typically found in his other epistles. But before we look at the text, let’s briefly talk about how Paul writes. He often takes a subject and then expands and expounds on it. Perhaps the best way to describe this would be to take an analogy from someone building a house. The builder constructs the foundation first and then he builds on top of that the first story followed by the next floor, followed by the next floor, etc. In his writing, Paul often will take a subject or basic premise and build on that foundation and keep building to make a point. In some cases, his entire letter may be built on one major premise. That is why whenever you read one of Paul’s epistles you should always go back and read several verses before and after a verse to fully understand the context. While that is true with all of Scripture, it seems to be more critical to do so in Paul’s writings. In the opening greeting in the book of Romans, Paul builds a structure that the entire book rests on. I will attempt to graphically represent this structure after discussing each building block in this chapter.
1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
Paul identifies himself as the author of the epistle, he also identifies himself as a servant of Christ Jesus. The Greek word translated in the ESV as ‘servant’, is ‘doulos’. This word can be confusing to some readers as it can be translated ‘slave,’ ‘bondservant’ or ‘servant.’ The context of the verse dictates how it should be translated, however there are some translations and Bible versions that do not take the context in consideration and simply translate it as “slave,” which may not convey the author’s true meaning. Here it is appropriately referring to Paul, as a loving servant of Jesus, one that was called to be an apostle.
The word ‘apostle’ is an interesting word. In the Greek, it simply means “one who was sent,” as a delegate. It refers to someone sent with instructions or orders from someone who has authority. For example, if a king dispatched a messenger with orders to a general on a battle front, that messenger would be called an apostle. In the New Testament, the word always refers to one sent directly by Jesus. We will see in a few verses that Paul will give the apostleship to us, namely the responsibility of proclaiming Jesus to others (see verse five).
Paul notes that he was selected by God for the gospel of God. The word ‘gospel’ in the Greek is ‘euangelion’,[1] the word we get our English word ‘evangelism’ from. Note that Paul referred to the gospel of God. We should never forget that God, the Father, was the author or our salvation (remember the message of John 3:16). We see here in verse one the subject or foundation of the structure, that it is built on the gospel of God.
1:2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
The gospel was promised ‘beforehand’, Paul uses a Greek word that only appears twice in the Bible, referring to some form of a previous announcement. Paul clarifies by saying it was declared by God’s prophets and written in holy Scripture. We need to realize that the phrase ‘Scripture’ when used in the New Testament refers to the Old Testament text. Prophecy is a key feature in the Word of God (in both the Old and New Testaments) as it what separates it from any other writing (see also Luke 1:70; Romans 3:21; 16:26). It is often called, “the Signature of God,” to show all of mankind that the Word of God is indeed from God, since He alone knows the future. In his letter to Titus, Paul used a similar statement to convey expectation of God’s promises, “in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.” (Titus 1:2) Paul brings out two things here we should never forget, the first thing is that God never lies or changes His mind and secondly, His plan of salvation through His Son Jesus was not a last-minute revision, it was always part of His plan.
1:3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
The Bible contains many hundreds of prophecies, so which ones were Paul talking about? Paul begins to narrow down and identify those that were found in the Old Testament pointing to the coming person known as the “Anointed One,” (the Hebrew word for one that is anointed is where we get the word ‘Messiah’ from, the equivalent Greek word is where we get the word ‘Christ’ from). Paul also begins to identify some of the Messiah’s qualifications in order to be mankind’s Savior. The first qualification is that the Messiah was to be the Son of God.
The Messiah had to also be from the line of David. The Old Testament clearly teaches that the future Savior and King would be a descendant of King David (here are a few examples: 2 Samuel 7:12-13; Psalms 89:3-4, 19, 24; 132:11; Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6). Both of Jesus’ earthly parents were descendants of the royal lineage of David. We see the genealogy of Joseph in Matthew 1:6 through David’s son Solomon and the bloodline of Mary in Luke 3:31 through David’s older son Nathan (thus avoiding the “blood curse of King Jeconiah,” see Jeremiah 22).
The next qualification of our Messiah is often missed by the casual reader, He had to be human! The Law that was given to Moses on Mount Sinai only applies to human beings. Therefore, the Law required a perfect human being to fulfill the Law. In his letter to the church in Galatia, Paul wrote, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,” (Galatians 4:4) Note how he referred to the birth of Jesus as both being born human (of a woman) and under the Law. He states that for the same reason here in Romans, the Messiah had to be human in order to be our Savior under the Law.
1:4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Paul then states that the Messiah was declared to be the Son of God. A statement that would be familiar to anyone who has studied the book of Psalms. “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:7-9, see also Acts 13:32-33; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5). Psalm 2 is often viewed as a conversation between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Paul uses the Greek word ‘horizō’ (translated here as ‘declared’), which refers to the marking off or identifying boundaries (the same word we get ‘horizon’ from, the delineation between land and sky), clearly the Messiah is unique to other humans as He is also God! Who was identified through the power of God and by the Holy Spirit (see also 2 Corinthians 13:4; Ephesians 1:19-20; Philippians 3:10).
Paul understood that to be a strong statement and one that may not always be accepted, so he brings out the greatest evidence of all, that the Messiah rose from the dead!
Who is the apostle talking about? Without a doubt, there is only one who can qualify, Jesus!
1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
Now, on top of the foundation of the gospel message, we see here in verse five that Paul says all Christians have received grace and apostleship. These are two words that we simply cannot afford to misunderstand.
The Greek word ‘lambanō’ refers to accepting something offered to us, we have the choice to accept or reject. In this case we are offered grace, a word Paul uses to summarize God’s free gift of salvation. Instead of condemnation and damnation, Jesus is offering us the opportunity to spend eternity with Him. While I know some of you may say it is a matter of semantics, we should never say we are saved by ‘grace’, we should always say we are saved by the grace of God! Here Paul is using the term to refer to the otherwise unbelievable offer of salvation from eternal punishment for our sins, something we could never obtain on our own. As Christians, those that have accepted Jesus’ offer, we have received His grace.
Previously we discussed the word ‘apostle’ found in verse one and now in verse five Paul tells us that we have received ‘apostleship’. I am going to use two other Bible versions to help clarify what Paul is referring to here. The first one is from the International Standard Version (the ISV is a relatively new version), “Through him we received grace and a commission as an apostle to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name.”[2] Note the use of the word ‘commission’, as you should already know, Jesus commissioned all believers in Matthew 28:18-20 to make disciples, Paul is now clarifying what that means, we have all been commissioned to spread the good news about Jesus. The second version I would like to use to aid in clarification comes from the New Living Translation. “Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.”[3] This version amplifies the fact that we should consider that commission a privilege and that we are not alone as we carry with us the authority of one sent by God.
The last half of verse five reminds us that we are, “to bring about the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5b), a reoccurring theme in this epistle (see Romans 6:16; 15:18; 16:26), a theme that should be applied directly to the way we live. Why? Because we represent Jesus, His name, His reputation and His authority, among all people groups around the world.
In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul reminded the church that “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) Jesus did the work, and we respond by being His representatives here on earth. Remember the word ‘name’ in verse five (Greek ‘onoma’) refers to a name, authority and to one’s reputation. If we do not act or appear as Christians to an unsaved world, we, in a way, are tarnishing the reputation of Jesus. Do you feel the pressure? You shouldn’t, Paul probably said it best, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). So always seek Him and keep on praying (see also Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6).
The entire book of Romans sits on top of this amazing foundation, all summarized by two actions. One Jesus did for us, the other is what we do for Him (though not out of requirement but out of love for Him). Since we received, we are to go, it’s that simple! Let’s now look at the entire structure correctly from the bottom up.
1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are familiar with Paul’s other epistles, you might call his greeting here in the book of Romans somewhat uncharacteristic. He inserts the epistle’s subject (the gospel message) and the need for Christians to proclaim it, right in the middle of his greeting to the church in Rome. The last half of verse five serves to remind all Christians our responsibility to, “bring about obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.” In other words, Paul is reminding us about our commission to evangelize (see Matthew 28:18-20). He continues his greeting in verse six by assuring the believers in Rome that they are included.
The Greek word ‘en’ can be translated many ways, including ‘among’, by’ and of course, ‘including’ (as translated here). The Greek implies something remaining in place, especially when compared to related Greek words, ‘ek’ (meaning ‘out of’ or ‘from’) or ‘eis’ (meaning ‘into’, ‘unto’, etc.) For example, the study of exegesis is the interpretation of text from or ‘out’ of the words, usually through the word’s context and meaning (don’t let the spelling fool you, same root word even though spelled differently). As opposed to the study of eisegesis being the interpretation of text by putting ‘in’ or creating your own meaning or definition, such as through unwarranted allegorizing. Paul is saying here that the responsibility of rightly handling the gospel message is for all Christians, including those living in Rome, who he further addresses as those loved by God and called to be Christians. Who are those loved by God? Obviously, all Christians are, but we also need to remember that God loves all people, regardless of who or what they are. That understanding will help us also remember the importance of evangelism. Later in this epistle we will learn that God will never stop loving us and cannot love us more (see Romans 8:31-39).
Paul used the Greek word ‘klētos’ three times in the first seven verses, this word is often used in conjunction to election or to those chosen by God for salvation. We will discuss this word in more detail when we get to Romans 8:28 (the fourth and final time the word appears in this epistle). Paul then concludes his opening using a more familiar greeting of “grace to you and peace from God our Father.” This time he uses the word ‘grace’ (Greek ‘cháris’, first used in verse five) to refer to God’s unmerited favor in all things. Without God’s grace in our lives, we would have a difficult time obtaining peace, perhaps that is why this classic greeting always starts with the word ‘grace’. The end of verse seven concludes the long sentence that began with verse one.
While grace and mercy are often spoken about in the same sentence, they are very different. Grace, as mentioned above is unmerited favor, receiving something that was not deserved. Mercy, however, is when something that is deserved, like punishment, is held back, not given. Paul regularly uses both terms, the Greek word ‘cháris’ (grace) appears 24 times in this epistle and ‘eleéō’ (mercy) eight times.
1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
Paul now begins the content of his epistle in a manner that many authors, that want to make several points, still use today by calling out the “first” thing they want to discuss. What was the first thing on Paul’s mind? Giving thanks to God! This is one of many traits of Paul that we should mimic (see also 1 Corinthians 1:4; Ephesians 1:15-6; Philippians 1:3; Colossians 1:3-4). He acknowledges and recognizes their faith as being well known (see also 1 Thessalonians 1:8). History tells us that the Emperor Claudius in 49 A.D. expelled the Jews out of Rome. It is also believed that his decision was based on the activity of what he believed to be a wayward sect of Judaism, namely followers of ‘Chrestus’, perhaps he was referring to Jesus, the Christ. Apparently, the church in Rome made its presence known!
1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
Wanting to express his deepest concern, Paul declares “For God is my witness,” (see also Philippians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 10), whom he serves with all of his ability and effort. To Paul there was nothing more important than the gospel message and his life reflected that in everything he did. He continues by pointing out that he prays for them without ceasing and that he wanted to let them know that he really did want to visit them (see Acts 19:21).
1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Paul tells them that he wanted to impart some unknown Spiritual gift to them. This may sound odd to some, as most Spiritual gifts are given from God directly without the need for human intervention, much like Spiritual fruit. In his epistle to the church in Galatia, Paul lists fruit of the Spirit, our external evidence of Jesus in our hearts (see Galatians 5:22-23). These are not Spiritual gifts, they are manifestations of God in our lives, this is what we are. If we are Christians, the fruit of the Holy Spirit that resides in us will be seen externally in our lives by others. So, what are gifts? Paul will cover this topic later in chapter 12; however it appears that there some gifts should be passed on from one believer to another. Paul may have been referring to the practice of “laying on of hands,” to impart a Spiritual gift, in this case to strengthen them (see Acts 6:6; 8:14-17; 19:4-7; 1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; Hebrews 6:1-3).
He was also interested in sharing stories to encourage each other in their ministries. This is a wonderful example of Paul’s humility, even though he was used by God in some amazing ways, he never considered himself as a super-spiritual person. He understood that all Christians, regardless of title, role or Spiritual maturity, are all Spiritual equals.
1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
Paul comes back to the subject regarding his intention to come visit them. Here he gives the reason for his strong desire as being to reap some harvest (Greek word ‘karpos’ can be found 66 times in the New Testament, usually translated as ‘fruit’, including Galatians 5:22 as noted above, only twice it it translated as ‘harvest’ in the ESV). Paul’s heart is always eager to preach, teach and evangelize, here he desires to teach them and to preach the gospel to the non-believers in Rome.
The Greek word ‘ethnos’ is translated here as ‘Gentiles’, earlier in verse five it was translated as ‘nations’ in the ESV, most English Bibles use these words interchangeably, based on context. The word refers to a people group belonging or living together, in the New Testament the word is generally used to designate non-Jewish people or nation (essentially the Hebrew equivalent of ‘gōy’ or ‘gōyim’).
1:14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
Paul points out that he is obligated to preach to the Greeks and barbarians. The Greek word translated as barbarians here in this text does not carry the same meaning as the English word, it simply refers to those that do not speak Greek. In either case both groups are Gentile, and we know that Paul was instructed to reach out to the Gentiles as his primary mission field (see Acts 9:10-16; 26:15-18; Romans 11:13; 15:16). Paul then adds something interesting, perhaps to clarify this last statement (since the leading ideology of most Greeks living at this time was enlightenment through knowledge), that the gospel message is for those that are well-educated and have good reasoning skills as well as for those that do not have an education or perhaps those that may be considered foolish. In other words, the gospel is for everyone, all humans. Paul uses this assertion to launch right into the purpose of writing this epistle, to proclaim the gospel to the church in Rome and ultimately, through their apostleship, to reach the non-believers in Rome.
Before we proceed to the primary subject of the epistle found in verses 16 and 17, we should take a moment and note four things that Paul told us about himself and seriously consider mimicking them in our own walk with Jesus. The first was thanking God for others (verse 8). Secondly, praying for others constantly (verses 9-10). Third, spend time with fellow believers to encourage each other (verse 12). And finally, be willing and eager to convey the gospel message (verses 13-15). Conveying the gospel does not always require preaching or teaching (although we should always be prepared, remember Colossians 4:6 and 1 Peter 3:15), it does however require us to be “as Christ” to others, those that God places in our lives to reach (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
In verse 15, Paul stated that he was eager to share the gospel message. I have to ask the question, when was the last time you were eager to serve God by sharing the gospel with someone? Why do Christians hesitate or choke-up when an opportunity to share comes along? Don’t feel you’re alone, it is moments like these when we ponder questions like: Am I prepared? What if I stumble? What if they get angry? What if they walk away? Will they ridicule me? Will our relationship be affected? By the time we are finished thinking about these, the opportunity is gone, followed by relief. Questions like these plague just about every Christian. But where does this reluctance come from? You’re not going to like the answer, it comes primarily from forces we cannot see, when we lose the opportunity to share the gospel, the devil wins. These issues are nothing new, Paul knew that Christians often had a difficult time sharing because the message was controversial and dangerous (potential persecution). So immediately after saying he was eager to share the gospel, Paul proceeds to point out the number one reason Christians have an aversion to evangelize.
1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Paul says he is, “not ashamed of the gospel.” The Greek word for ashamed is ‘epaischynomai’, meaning to bring shame upon oneself. Is there something in the gospel message that we should be ashamed of? I know most Christians would immediately say “NO!” But is that what God hears? Why are we relieved when an opportunity to share passes? Jesus should be the centerpiece in our lives, what we think, do and say should always reflect that fact. But we also need to be prepared, remember what the Apostle Peter said, “if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!” (1 Peter 3:15b-17, NLT, see also Colossians 4:6)
Sharing has taken on a whole new meaning today; people share just about everything (and anything) via social media. One can share ideas, photos, encouragements, clever sayings, jokes and anything else that one feels is important. Is the message of salvation important to you? In a sense sharing the gospel can be done easier than ever using social media (although we do see social media companies responding with some censoring), or are you ashamed of the gospel? Paul is aiming that statement right at our hearts (or perhaps jugular vein), so it should hurt.
Paul tells us that what God did for us demonstrates His power to the world. We and the world should be able to see the power of God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (see also 1 Corinthians 1:18-31). We are to never discount the power of God. Just because the gospel doesn’t make sense to some people, that is not an excuse to remain silent. Paul then reminds us that salvation is available to all those that believe the gospel message to be true.
The good news is to be shared with the Jews first. This statement gives us insight on two very important points. The first is that even though the Jews are called “God’s chosen people,” they need Jesus for salvation, just like every other human being. Secondly, regardless of their denial of Jesus in the past, they remain very important to God. Next, we are to share the gospel with the Greeks. The Greek word for the Greek people is ‘Hellēn’, the word not only refers to those of Greek descent, but depending on context, can also refer to any and all non-Jews, as we see it used here in this verse.
1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The gospel is not only tangible evidence of God’s power, but Paul also now adds that the righteousness of God is revealed through it as well. What is righteousness? It is true that God sets the rules as to what is righteous and what is not (right and wrong). Paul is not saying that the gospel is just a display of God being right, he is explaining that the righteousness of God can be seen and understood through the gospel. Paul will explain this in greater detail in the third chapter, where he begins by saying: “Now, the way to receive God’s approval has been made plain in a way other than Moses’ Teachings.” (Romans 3:21a, GW)
Paul recognizes that there can be many barriers when we begin to evangelize. Some people love to dwell on the negative or darker things of life and feel justified to ask questions like, how could a loving God allow…you fill in the blank. But we know that the gospel message actually reveals God’s true and righteous nature. We look forward to spending eternity with Him where there is no pain or suffering. God wants us to keep our eyes on Him and remember that salvation is not about this world, but the next (See Colossians 3:2).
God’s righteousness is revealed “from faith for faith” (or faith to faith). The ESV offers as an alternate, “beginning and ending in faith.” Paul is saying that we were made righteous by God through our faith and that faith (trust) will bring us to Him in heaven at the end of our lives. The Greek word for faith is ‘pistis’, which is the root word for the word ‘belief’ (as well as the word ‘believes’ that we encountered in verse 16). Faith in what belief? In short, it starts with the belief that there is a God, that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and that Jesus will save us from condemnation when we die. Our Christian walk begins with faith (made righteous), we then live in faith (sanctification) and when our life on earth has concluded, it ends with faith (redemption, see the same order and description in 1 Corinthians 1:30).
In order to emphasize an important point, God often repeats Himself in Scripture (there was no good way to bold, capitalize or even underline the text!) If you only casually read the Bible, you probably would miss a key verse out of the book of Habakkuk, but fortunately it is repeated and quoted three times in the New Testament. One of those times is here in verse 17, see also Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 2:4. The verse from Habakkuk reads, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4). The reference to ‘his’ in this verse is identified earlier in the chapter as ‘man’ (or all of mankind). One could call this verse the central verse of not only the three New Testament epistles, and that would be and accurate assessment, but it is also the theme of the entire Bible.
Paul pulls out the key phrase and quotes, “The righteous shall live by faith.” The ESV again offers alternate wording, “the one who by faith is righteous shall live.” Christians are saved by their faith alone, one of the five ‘Solas’ identified in the Protestant Reformation (see below). God did all the work, we cannot add a single action, what Jesus did for us is completely sufficient for our salvation.
The KJV and NKJV use the word ‘just’ instead of the word ‘righteous’. The word righteousness and justify in the English language on first glance appear to be unrelated, however, the Greek word ‘dikaisynē’ (the word translated as ‘righteousness’ in this verse, can also be translated ‘justice’), which is from the Greek word ‘dikaios’ meaning ‘righteous’ or ‘justify’. One way to clarify is to understand that in order to justify a person, one is to declare them legally righteous (see also 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:3). Without justification Christians would have no hope, Martin Luther explains:
For if the doctrine of justification is lost, the whole of Christian doctrine is lost. And those in the world who do not teach it are either Jews or Turks or papists or sectarians. For between these two kinds of righteousness, the active righteousness of the Law and the passive righteousness of Christ, there is no middle ground. Therefore he who has strayed away from this Christian righteousness will necessarily relapse into the active righteousness; that is, when he has lost Christ, he must fall into a trust in his own works.[4]
The Five Solas
Due to the erroneous interpretation of Scripture and false teaching within the 16th Century church (Jude was right, see Jude 4), there was a need to identify the essential doctrine of salvation. The reformers of the Protestant Reformation clarified this doctrine with five major points, often referred to as the five ‘solas’, from the Latin word for ‘alone’.
Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone, the Bible is the sole authority for all matters of faith. Bottom line, the Bible is the only book that will make a difference when we die.
Sola Gratia – Salvation by grace alone, proof of God’s undeserved favor for all of humanity. Jesus did all the work! I feel it is important to point out again that we should not get in the habit of saying we were saved by grace, we are saved by the grace of God!
Sola Fide – Salvation by faith alone, just as Paul is referring to here in this chapter, we are all justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul clarifies and expands on the concepts of grace and faith in his epistle to the church in Ephesus: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Note that he included the fact that trying to do something for our salvation is unacceptable and counterproductive. We received salvation through faith, not through any effort on our part. Salvation is offered to all, but unfortunately many will not accept this free gift.
Solus Christus – In Christ alone, salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross is not only sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to God the Father, He is, and always will be, the only way to obtain salvation, period. Jesus is the sole mediator between us and His Father.
Soli Deo Gloria – For the glory of God alone. Salvation is of God and was accomplished by God for His glory alone.
These five points provide an excellent framework for any Christian. If we believe something differently, such as think that there are other ways to get into heaven or that we need to follow a ritual or do something for salvation, we are risking our own redemption.
Early Christian movements and churches developed creeds and other forms of statements of faith to not only guide and educate their own people, but they also helped to delineate the various differences that were beginning to separate Christians. As the number of creeds grew and were constantly being revised, the beliefs began to wander further from the truth. The Protestant Reformation embraced these “Five Solas” to guide the Body of Christ, the church at large, back to real gospel message. Unfortunately, as we fast-forward in time, we see many of the same churches that were started by the Reformation leaders falling away from these basic tenets of Christian beliefs.
This trend of ‘humanizing’ the gospel message is nothing new as much of the book of Romans and Paul’s teaching in general have been under attack from their beginning. Recently there has been a growing movement (often referred to as the “New Perspective on Paul,” or NPP), promoted mostly by liberal theologians (such as N.T. Wright and Edward P. Sanders), who claim human effort is indeed necessary for salvation. They essentially redefine the words ‘faith’ and ‘grace’ in an attempt to breathe new life into the age-old argument that Jesus’ death was not completely sufficient for salvation. Christians need to know the Word of God well enough to be able to recognize false teaching such as what this movement is disseminating.
God’s Wrath on the Unrighteous
1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
In the previous verse Paul told us that the “Righteousness of God” was revealed from faith for faith—the accepting, living and later redemption of the saving grace of the gospel message—through faith. Now in this verse, Paul reveals that there is another side to the coin, the “Wrath of God.” Since God is a just and righteous God, justice must be served. If we accept the free offer of salvation through Jesus, we are spared eternal condemnation. However, since mankind is already condemned, by not accepting the only route leading to salvation, they will indeed be condemned. This dichotomy is often referred to as the “Law and Gospel.” The Law (referring to the first five books of the Old Testament) contains protocols and rules for living that are impossible for mankind to completely do and maintain. These rules point to our disobedience and shortcomings before God and therefore exposes us as the sinners we are (something Paul will expand on later in this epistle, for example, see Romans 3:19-20; 7:7).
Just hearing the phrase, “the Wrath of God,” can evoke some wild ideas and thoughts. We often hear about the wrath of God when we read the Bible, especially the Old Testament. We can picture His wrath at the time when Adam and Eve sinned (see Genesis 3); before the time of the flood (see Genesis 6-7); during construction of the Tower of Babel (see Genesis 11); hearing the Pharaoh refusing to let the Israelites leave Egypt (see Exodus 7-14); when Moses warned the Israelites to not disobey God in the promised land (see Deuteronomy 27-28); or reading the many warnings given by the prophets (some examples: Isaiah 9:19; Jeremiah 7:16-20). The list goes on and we can also read about God’s wrath in the New Testament (see Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:5-6).
The Greek word ‘orgē’, translated here as wrath is not some form of temporary indignation, like the Greek word ‘thymos’, which is most often translated ‘fury’. The word ‘orgē’ is similar to the Hebrew word ‘ap’ referring to the reluctant anger of God, something a ‘just’ God must do. Here in this verse, ‘orgē’ is pointing to the judgment of those that have rejected God’s plan for salvation. While it is probably true that a fire and brimstone approach to preaching and evangelism is not always productive in persuading people to accept Jesus, the truth remains, God is a just God. Today people banter the idea of fairness around to justify a wide range of concerns. Some of these people refuse to believe that God is a just God because that concept violates their sense of fairness. In those cases, we need to first understand that God is indeed fair (see Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Acts 10:34-35; Romans 9:14). The next point we should consider is that God sets the rules, we cannot measure God using human logic or emotion. Since we know that God never changes or lies (see Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17), we can read His Word and learn about His character and know what pleases Him as well as what makes Him angry. The truth we discover in His Word is that He actually loves all of us equally, but He hates the sin, His judgment has been and always will be, just and fair.
Paul says the wrath of God will be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness (lack of reverence, however, the root word in the Greek also implies wickedness) and unrighteousness of mankind. The Greek word ‘adikia’ (unrighteousness) refers to doing wrong, that which is unjust. The Apostle John wrote, “All wrongdoing is sin…” (1 John 5:17a), the word ‘wrongdoing’ is the same Greek word (‘adikia’). We know there is a wrong way to do things because the truth tells us there is a right way. These ungodly and unrighteous people suppress the truth, both for themselves and to others. For what can be known (Greek word ‘gnostos’, meaning knowable) about God is not hidden (see also Acts 14:17; 17:22-28; Romans 2:14-15).
God has indeed made Himself apparent for all to see. Paul is not talking about knowing all there is to know about God, nor is he implying that there is some otherwise-inexplicable process such as a spiritual impartation of wisdom or some ingrained-instinctual knowledge of God at work here, he is pointing out that God is both real and His involvement in our existence can be seen by all people.
1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
In almost a riddle, Paul says that God’s invisible attributes can be clearly perceived. What attributes? Look around! While you were looking around did you notice the wonder of God? How about His divine design of things? Did you catch how colorful and beautiful things are too? Do you not see a God that loves diversity? We cannot see the wind, but we can see where it has been. We cannot see electricity, but we know of its power. We cannot see gravity or radio waves, but we know they exist. While we might not see God directly, His divine nature (that would include being omniscience and omnipresence) and eternal power (omnipotent) are apparent and obvious as seen in His creation (see Psalms 19:1-6; Jeremiah 5:21-31).
These attributes have been made known since the beginning of creation. Paul uses the Greek word ‘poiema’, the word we get the English term ‘poem’ from (found only one other place in the Bible, see Ephesians 2:10), one way to look at this is to understand that creation was one big epic poem about us, for His glory. Therefore, mankind is without excuse, they cannot justify not believing that God exists! This reminds me of what the Apostle John wrote in his first epistle, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8), or put in a different way, if we believe there is no sin, or a God to hold us accountable, the truth is not in us. Denying the truth does not negate it, no matter how passionate you are.
1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Paul says they know there is a God, throughout history mankind has always been able to delude themselves regarding God and His Word. While people may think they are more ‘enlightened’ today with science or perhaps possess a heightened sense of spirituality, the fact remains that mankind just doesn’t want to be accountable to God. Paul further explains that they also did not honor Him as God, nor give any acknowledgment or thanks. Today science tells us that life began as a mistake. Let me ask you a question, can you come up with a greater insult than to identify the greatest poem as only being the result of random chance or a mistake? Paul therefore rightfully concludes that mankind’s reasoning is both worthless and foolish (see also 2 Kings 17:14-14; Jeremiah 2:5; Ephesians 4:17-18), he explains that those hearts have been darkened, deprived of light.
Sometimes a heart can go dark due to incomplete or irrational reasoning, this is where the subject of apologetics can be useful. The devil has been successful in holding back some individuals from seeing the truth based on some form of what they believe to be an ‘intellectual’ argument or belief in some unprovable set of facts. We need to remember that this does not replace the need for Spiritual discernment, we should always be praying for those that are lost. However, in many cases, we find that presuppositions and other potentially academic barriers (such as believe in evolution or the Big Bang theory) can prevent someone, unfortunately this is especially true for scientists and engineers, from accepting Jesus as their Savior. Once those barriers are down, we need to be prepared to present the gospel message, all while continuing to pray!
1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Those that oppose God and His Word will do so thinking they really know better. They declare themselves to be smarter and wiser and will often call those who believe in God as weak-minded or use some other insult. Paul says they claim to be wise (Greek word ‘sophos’), but instead are fools (Greek word ‘mōrainō’, a word that refers to something that has lost its taste, Jesus used it in Matthew 5:13 referring to salt losing its saltiness, the word became a metaphor for someone touting to be something that they are not, in other words, foolish). It’s hard not to think about philosophers (two Greek words that essentially mean “the love of wisdom”) when we read about those claiming to be wise. Through the years many philosophers have attempted to replace the need for God in their philosophies, only to be revealed as foolishness.
Solomon was gifted by God to be the wisest man who ever existed. He wrote on the subject of wisdom on a number of occasions. Many of the chapters in the book of Proverbs were written by Solomon. Is there something we can learn from Solomon regarding wisdom? Absolutely, I recommend everyone to read at least the first three chapters of the book of Proverbs. Here are a few excerpts from these chapters: “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:1-7) “making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,” (Proverbs 2:2-12) “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8) Solomon clearly points out that wisdom without God is worthless, as He is the source of truth. God also told the prophet Jeremiah, “Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them.” (Jeremiah 10:14) Without God we have no truth, no knowledge and no wisdom (see also 1 Corinthians 1:20)
1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
By rejecting God, Paul says these people have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for something that is not immortal (see Psalm 106:20; Jeremiah 2:11). God is offering to all of mankind a chance for sharing His glory for eternity (see 2 Peter 1:3-5). But instead of the peace that comes from knowing God and savoring the Savior for eternity, they reject God and His plan for their salvation and exchange it for images (a likeness, not even the real thing) of mortal man (like philosophers and theologians that have a better idea), birds, animals (the Greek word actually refers to four legged animals) and creeping things (see Deuteronomy 4:15-24).
Mankind has always sought to worship something or someone. There are countless number of man-made religions that involve some form of animal worship. In these cases, I always think of the ancient Egyptians and their adoration and deifying of nearly everything physical. They even revered scarabs, otherwise known as dung beetles (talking about creeping things!)
1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
In perhaps the most unsettling of words used in this epistle, Paul begins to point out three chilling facts about God. As a result of unbelievers rejecting Jesus, God has given them up. That’s right, you read that correctly, God is allowing them to go where they want to go, but they are on their own. The Greek word translated here as gave up, is the word ‘paradidōmi’, which means to place something into the hands of another, to be delivered over. This verb can be found in the New Testament 119 times and each time it is used in a dramatic and intense way (for both good and bad).
God gave them over to their own desires, here Paul says God has given them over to their lusts (the Greek word implies the desire to do what is forbidden) of their hearts to impurity. The prophet Jeremiah also wrote “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus reminded us that it is what comes out of our mouths that defiles us (see Matthew 15:10-20). Where does this lead to? Paul says it leads to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. Glamor, pleasure and self-gratification are only temporary. The more they glorify their own thinking and pleasure seeking, the more they are diminishing themselves before God.
1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Paul further explains why, because these unbelievers have exchanged the truth about God, as he pointed out in verses 16-20, for a lie. We need to understand that all other beliefs are false (see Isaiah 28:15; 44:9-20; Jeremiah 10:14; Amos 2:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). There were many lies and wayward philosophies being proclaimed during Paul’s time and there are many more flourishing today. A good rule of thumb would be to note that anything or any philosophy that takes our eyes off Jesus is both evil and a lie.
These unbelievers worship and serve that which God created, but not the Creator Himself. The word Paul uses here that is translated as ‘worship’ is the Greek word ‘sebazomai’ referring to stand in awe, to praise or to value highly. Today, instead of animals, birds, carved images or idols (or creeping things), we seek wealth, health, success and power above all things.
Paul takes a short break and proclaims a short doxology; the Creator is blessed forever! Amen! God is certainly praiseworthy (the Greek word translated here as ‘blessed’ is ‘eulogētos’ referring to the offering of praise) and is eternal. After writing about how mankind will be left alone by God after rejecting His free offer of salvation, it seems like Paul needed to “clean up” before proceeding! Praising God should always be on our minds, however, if we ever find ourselves in a bad situation or feel the world closing in, come back to God and praise Him!
God will abandon those who reject His Son and allow the consequences of sin to take its natural and potentially destructive course. But the story doesn’t end there, God’s abandonment can be temporary, as He is always listening. This is where Christians come into the picture, we need to help those around us find Jesus and pray with them and for them, so that they will seek Him and ask for repentance. Remember, our lives are an epistle written by God that is read by others. We may be the only Bible people will read.
1:26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 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.
Paul uses the Greek word ‘paradidōmi’ for the second time in this chapter, referring to God “handing over” someone to their sinful desires. Previously, in verse 24, Paul referred to God abandoning those that embrace idolatry and now he includes dishonorable passions (ESV), degrading passions (NASB, LEB), vile affections (KJV, NKJV) or shameful lusts (NIV), to the list as he will now illustrate in the next two verses.
The word that is translated in the ESV as “dishonorable’ is the Greek word ‘atima’ and as pointed out above, it can be translated in several ways. However, it is the following word that is interesting, it is the Greek word ‘pathos’ and it is used only three times in the New Testament. The word refers to something that occurs after an event or condition, in the Bible it is always used as a negative. Together with the word ‘atima’, Paul is referring to the lusts that dishonor those who indulge in them (see also Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:5).
When Paul mentions women exchanging natural relations for those that are contrary to nature, he is not talking about something that is natural to the person, he is referring the natural order God designed in creation. Just like the two words paired earlier in the verse, it is the second word that is interesting. The word ‘chrēsis’ (translated ‘relations’) refers directly to the use of a body for sexual intercourse. The word that is translated here as ‘nature’ is the Greek ‘physis’ and it is the root word for the word ‘natural’ that is used twice elsewhere in this verse, simply referring to the nature of things. We need to always remember that it was God who established the order in which all things work. The concept of “Mother Nature” or “Mother Earth” are only mankind’s inventions, often with the intention of denouncing or rejecting God.
Paul then turns to those men who also gave up natural relations, in this case those designed by God to be used with a woman. Paul says that these men were consumed with passion (the Greek word used here is ‘orexis’, it is not the usual word for ‘passion’, it refers to strong desires or unrelenting cravings) for one another (Greek ‘allēlōn’, referring to another of the same kind, as opposed to ‘heteros’ referring to another of a different kind). To remove any doubt what he is talking about, Paul adds, “men committing shameless acts with men.” The result of these actions is equally clear, these men will receive the same penalty for their error, the abandonment of God.
Note how Paul in these two verses has made a case that men were designed for women and women for men. He is referring to both the fit (external evidence of design) and function (internal evidence of design, the NASB appropriately uses the word ‘function’ for ‘chrēsis’). Do you remember earlier when Paul was making the case that God has made Himself evident in this world through His creation and that everyone was without excuse to see God as the divine designer (see Romans 1:19-20)? Paul now adds the process of reproduction to that design. He is saying that homosexuality violates the intended design. The case he makes gives us further evidence of design in creation. We can use a “teleological argument” to point to the existence of a divine creator. Teleology is the study of evidence of design found in nature or the doctrine of that which explains phenomena by final cause or outcome. The term is derived from the Greek word ‘teleos’ referring to the end, purpose or goal and the word ‘logos’, as everyone should know, refers to the words or expression of reason and explanation. Paul makes the case that normal sexuality, not only was designed by God to work only one way, he is also making the teleological argument that: 1) God exists; 2) all of creation was designed by Him; and 3) therefore we were created and designed with a purpose (don’t forget God’s instructions to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28 and then later to Noah and his family in Genesis 9:1-7, to “go forth and multiply.”) Now, here is the big question, if we were created with a purpose, would we not have an obligation to the Creator?
We know that homosexuality has been a problem in humanity since the fall of man into sin, as an example, the story of “Sodom and Gomorrah” from Abraham’s time, is well known and is still used as a metaphor for God’s wrath and destruction (see Genesis 18:20-19:29). But some may have forgotten that the destruction of these cities was the direct result of flagrant homosexuality. We see in the Old Testament that God not only calls it an abomination against Him (See Leviticus chapter 18, note especially verse 22), it is also considered a capital crime, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” (Leviticus 20:13). It is clear that homosexuality, like all sin, displeases God.
Now let’s fast-forward to today, even though those that practice homosexuality may be relatively few in number, it is a serious issue in our society. If one does not believe in God, then obviously the Bible, and probably any other moral guideline presented, would not be persuasive. They either have no moral compass, or they have embraced some form of a relativistic basis as to determine what is right or wrong (relativists are those that are quick to point out that there can be more than one truth and probably will, just as quickly, tell you to keep your ideas to yourself). For those people, we need to regularly lift them up in prayer.
However, we know that the issue of homosexuality has infiltrated Christendom and has polarized many people both inside and outside of Christianity. Many churches and denominations have embraced homosexuality, often as the result of listening to critics and those that refer to themselves as being politically correct. Why would so many churches succumb so easily to outside pressure? The answer to that question may be the answer to a lot of issues and problems in society today, that should have been addressed by churches long before this, namely the inaccurate or inappropriate interpretation, ignorance, or the intentional ignoring of the Word of God. How is that fixed? Everyone needs to spend more time reading and studying the Bible.
Even though the Bible speaks regularly and often against sexual exploits (for a few other examples see Genesis 19:5; Judges 19:22-30; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Revelation 21:8), these two verses in Romans might be the best ones to share with another believer regarding homosexuality since they are straightforward and include both genders. Let’s briefly explore some of the issues a Christian might use to defend their own sexual preferences. Some believe that since the passages from Leviticus would be considered by most Christians as part of the Law (the Torah), many have argued that Jesus fulfilled the Law (see Matthew 5:17-20) and they are now free to do whatever they want to do. That is simply not true, we will see later in the sixth chapter where Paul will make a clear case showing the error of that argument, when he asks, “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15). There is also an unfortunate trend by some believers that when trying to justify their own actions, actually discount or minimize the Old Testament or attempt to deemphasize issues in the New Testament that were not directly addressed by Jesus. Obviously, none of these are true or even healthy for a Christian to consider, not alone believe. Some will even resort to redefining the Greek words. For example, the Greek word ‘arsenokoitēs’ as seen in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 that is translated as “homosexuality” is often redefined to refer to male prostitutes, but further examination of how the word is used, indicates that is not a correct interpretation.[5] Since Paul describes homosexual behavior as a sin and that these verses in Romans are so direct, they are seemingly always under attack.
So why the favorable acceptance of homosexuality in the body of Christ? Why are there so many pro-gay theologies in existence today? Paul answers this in his second letter to his protégé Timothy, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) Instead of hearing the truth from God, people will justify their own thinking by seeking and listening to those that are like-minded, even if they do not speak or teach the truth.
Some even believe that their behavior is normal for themselves, believing they were born that way. Through the years science has attempted to back up those claims. For example, in 1991 Simon LeVay published the results of his study proclaiming that homosexuality had a biological basis (stating that a homosexual’s hypothalamus was smaller than heterosexuals),[6] but later clarified: “It’s important to stress what I didn’t find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn’t show that gay men are ‘born that way,’ the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain.”[7] Another widely published, and much-heralded announcement came a few years later from Dean Hamer claiming there was a “statistical confidence level of more than 99 percent that at least one subtype of male sexual orientation is genetically influenced”[8] However, further studies by other researchers were not able to reproduce the same results, Hamer later admitted that, “The best recent study, suggests that female sexual identification is more a matter of environment than heredity.”[9] As one might expect, these clarifications did not receive the same enthusiastic response as their original publications and public opinion had made.
Before we continue, it is important to understand the serious nature of being abandoned to do whatever you want to do by God. These issues are not trivial before God, He would not abandon anyone if the individual had no choice. He is righteous and even though the standard for righteousness is determined by Him (that of course is His prerogative since He is God), He never changes and is never partial, He loves everyone the same, therefore He is always fair.
It is true that homosexuality is a sin, and like most sins, there are a number of variations and levels of passion. At one end, there are some that struggle with same sex attraction and then there are others who have given themselves completely over to a gay lifestyle. First of all, we must remember that we are all sinners and unfortunately continue to sin because we are sinners, but we know that sin keeps us from our much-needed fellowship with Jesus. This does not mean we are hypocrites; we know that we simply cannot continue to sin and expect to enjoy the presence of God. However, there is an answer, we can resist sin through Jesus, remember what James wrote in his epistle: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8) These are some of the greatest words of advice in the Bible, “Draw near to God!” During our times of struggle, we should pray, praise, sing, read the Bible, focus on God and Savor our Savior Jesus as He draws near to us!
So how do we convey that to our homosexual friends or family? Do we distance ourselves from them? Do we cut off any relationship with them? The answer is an obvious, NO! We are to love the person but abhor the sin. Remember God loves them just as much as He loves you and me.
We are to use our relationships to be positive influences. That doesn’t equate to constantly remaining silent, as we must be willing and able to share the truth of the Bible and the gospel message whenever the Holy Spirit moves us. The answer again is prayer, remember to always pray for anyone who may be struggling with homosexuality or any other sin.
If you require additional information on either a Christian’s perspective of homosexuality or you are looking for suggestions on how to approach someone you know, please consider the resources available from Stand to Reason, their website can be found at str.org.
1:28 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.
Paul now identifies the third issue that can result in God abandoning someone, where He leaves them to their own devices. Here again the subject ‘they’ refers to unbelievers. This group are those that did not see fit (the Greek implies that they did not recognize something as being genuine), to acknowledge God. The word ‘acknowledge’ is actually three Greek words, ‘echō’ (to hold or have), ‘en’ (in, by or with) and ‘epignōsis’ (self-determined knowledge). The question here might be, what knowledge? The answer is found in verses 16-20, or simply stated, the knowledge of God and His plan of salvation for all people.
We read that God gave them up (here is that Greek word again, ‘paradidōmi’, meaning to hand over) to a debased mind. The word ‘debased’ is the Greek word ‘adokimos’, which was originally a metallurgical term used by refiners for material rejected for having too many impurities, the word later represented the concept of being worthless. It has been translated as ‘reprobate’ in the KJV, ‘depraved’ in the NASB and NIV, ‘immoral’ in the GW, and ‘foolish’ in the NLT. Combine these definitions and we can see clearly that God is handing unbelievers over to thinking that is not only incompatible with God’s Word, it is self-indulgent and certainly self-deceived.
Paul says that this form of thinking will cause them to do what ought not be done. To fully understand correct or wrong thinking, we should probably start with what we should believe to be true. First, we should believe there is a God and believe His Word, it is there where we learn that we are all sinners and will be condemned for all of eternity. We are then to believe that God has provided the only way out of our predicament and that by believing this plan of salvation through Jesus is true, we are saved. Meanwhile we are to follow and become disciples of Jesus, helping others to find salvation, to be ambassadors for Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).
So, what thinking will cause them to do what ought not be done? To start, not believe there is a God and certainly not accept any supposed book written by one. They will reject any and all plans for salvation since they do not believe there is a God and therefore no rules to break. They certainly do not believe that they are sinners. Therefore, they only think what is best for themselves. What happens if people reject God? He lets them go, He will abandon them to a debased mind, which will cause them to do what they should not be doing in His eyes.
1:29 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.
Paul goes on to describe them in a list that is similar to some of his other “wrong behavior” lists found in some of his other epistles (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-16; Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-9; 2 Timothy 3:2-9). He begins this list with some broad terms and then begins to use very specific terms, many of which only appear once in the Bible. He begins with something we might otherwise overlook and that is the fact that these unbelievers are full of unrighteousness. In other words, they have no room for God, the source of righteousness. We encountered this word ‘adikia’ (unrighteousness) back in verse 18, alongside the word ‘asebeia’ referring to being ungodly or having no respect for God. That helps us understand how any of these descriptors Paul uses can exist in a person’s mind, they are without God.
The list continues with evil (Greek word ‘ponēria’, which is found only seven times in the Bible, it is not the usual word that is translated as evil, that word will be found in verse 30, here the word implies depravity or wickedness). Next is the word covetousness (greedy) followed by malice. Paul now switches to more-specific terms, the next three terms can each be found nine times in the New Testament. These unbelievers are full of:
The reason the Greek behind each word is listed above was to point out these words are indeed specific. Some of these words in English could be used as synonyms for each other, but the Greek words are actually very specific and carefully selected by Paul. Meaning they were not randomly chosen, nor were they the result of Paul writing every bad thing he could come up with!
1:32 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.
Paul summarizes by saying, “though they know” (here again is the word ‘epignōskō’, same as in verse 28), God’s righteous decree (Greek ‘dikaiōma, found five times in this epistle, can be a legal term, as it is used here, God decrees us righteous. The LEB translates it as “requirement of God”; “judgment of God” by the KJV, NKJV and GW; “ordinance of God” by the NASB and “God’s justice requires those…”by the NLT). That whoever does these things (as described in verses 24-34), deserve to die. A theme that Paul will return to later in Romans chapter six.
Paul is astonished that these people not only do these atrocities, but they also essentially applaud others who revel in them as well. This reminds me, once again, what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) They don’t want to learn the truth; they want teachers who think and do the same things they do! What’s the answer? Just go back one verse, Christians need to recognize that their efforts, for the most part, are failing and to boldly, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2) Paul, knew the moment the Word was no longer properly taught or no longer used to reprove, rebuke and exhort, the world would head towards his description of the last days (see 2 Timothy 3:1-9).
The concept of being abandoned to do whatever they want can be confusing and for some a stumbling block in their relationship with God. Sometimes when a believer sees a non-believer being successful or flagrantly sin, they wonder what’s going on. Leading to questions of fairness, or worse, leading to questioning their own walk with Jesus. As Christians, we need to understand that this world is only temporary and that what we look forward to is not only eternal, but it will also be greater than anything we can imagine here on earth. So, try not listening to those temptations or focus on what other people have, keep your eyes on Jesus. How? Keep on praying (see Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:4-7; Colossians 4:2-4).
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[1] The word originally considered a reward for good news, now refers to good news. Strong's Greek 2098. The Greek vowels epsilon and upsilon together in this word create a diphthong that when spoken have an 'ev' sound. A diphthong is a sound that is formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable.
[2] International standard version New Testament: version 1.1. (2000). (Print on Demand ed., Ro 1:5). Yorba Linda, CA: The Learning Foundation.
[3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 1:5). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[4] Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 26: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4. (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol. 26, p. 9). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.
[5] Alan Schlemon, The Ambassador's Guide to Understanding Homosexuality (Signal Hill: Stand to Reason, 2013), 13-14.
[6] Simon LeVay, “A Difference in Hypothalamic Structure Between Heterosexual and Homosexual Men,” Science 253, no. 5023, (1991), 1034-1037.
[7] David Nimmons, “Sex and the Brain – Neurobiologist Simon LeVay Found a Link between Brain Structure and Homosexuality,” Discover Magazine (March 1994), 64.
[8] Dean Hamer et al., “A Linkage Between DNA Markers on the X Chromosome and Male Sexual Orientation,” Science 261, no. 5119, (1993) 321-327.
[9] Dean Hamer and Peter Copeland, Living with Our Genes: Why They Matter More Than You Think (New York: Doubleday, 1998), 188.