Scripture Studies - Romans 1:21-32

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator --who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ 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, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 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. -- Romans 1:21-32

Into the Dark Thickets

The sacred narrative of the Epistle to the Romans, that majestic cathedral of Christian doctrine, finds itself at a most somber and staggering juncture as the Apostle Paul turns his inspired pen toward the spiritual wreckage of the human race. In these verses, we behold not the gentle streams of refreshing grace, but the gathering clouds of a celestial tempest; not the soft whispers of divine comfort, but the thunderous peals of a righteous indignation. It is a passage from which the faint of heart might wish to turn aside; it is a valley of dry bones that offers little to the carnal eye save the stench of decay and the shadow of death. Yet, if the student of the Word is to become an expert in the mysteries of God -- a goal toward which every soul should strive with unceasing labor and holy ambition -- he must at times bite the bullet, and venture into the dark thickets of condemnation to truly appreciate the luminous heights of redemption.

There is a divine necessity in this exploration, for the wrath of God is not a capricious outburst of human-like temper, but a settled, holy, and necessary opposition to all that is unholy. As has been established in the preceding verses, the Almighty has not left Himself without witness; the theater of the world, the fabric of the heavens, and the very pulse of the human conscience all declare God's "eternal power and divine nature " (vs. 20). Humans are, therefore, "without excuse" (vs. 20); they stand before the bar of eternity not in ignorance, but in rebellion; not as victims of a hidden God, but as fugitives from a God who has made Himself plain to all. The text of the Apostle Paul, following the logic of a divine prosecutor, establishes that the rejection of this manifest light leads inevitably to the darkening of the intellect, the degradation of the body, and the depravity of the mind.

The Root of the Descent Into Darkness (vs. 21)

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

The Apostle begins this harrowing descent by identifying the root of all spiritual rot: the failure of the creature to respond to the Creator with the twin sacrifices of glorification and gratitude . "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened" (vs. 21). Behold here the tragedy of the fallen soul: it is a soul that is willfully blind, wretchedly unthankful, and increasingly darkened. The knowledge of God, once clear as the noonday sun, is suppressed by the wickedness of the heart, leading to a state where the intellect wanders into a labyrinth of its own making.

"Glorifying" God is the primary duty of every being that draws breath. It is to praise God for what He is -- righteous, just, and loving -- and to adore Him for what He has done in the vast expanses of creation. When the awe of the creature fails to keep pace with the goodness of the Creator, the soul slips its moorings.

To "give thanks" is the necessary corollary to this glory; it is the acknowledgment that every blessing, every drop of rain, and every heartbeat is an unmerited gift from the Father of Lights. As the scholar William Plumer aptly observed: "Well-bred people thank even another man's servant for a small favor, such as a cup of cold water. How vile must be the heart that warms not with gratitude to God, who lavishes on us innumerable blessings, all wholly unmerited!"

The neglect of these duties -- "glorifying God" and "giving thanks" to Him -- is not a mere oversight; it is a spiritual treason. Gratitude to God leads to obedience; ingratitude leads to futility and darkness, as Paul points out: "... but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened " (vs. 21). Gratitude to God is the tether that keeps the heart in the light of obedience; ingratitude is the shears that cut the cord, allowing the soul to drift into a void. When the focus of humans turns away from the Majesty on high, it naturally descends into the "futility " of this world. As Solomon cried in his holy weariness, "Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless!" (Eccl. 1:2), and so it must be for those who seek purpose apart from the Divine. This "futile thinking" is a form of intellectual slavery, where the mind is bound to meaningless pursuits, which are abundant in this world. Whether it be through the vanities of modern diversions (social media, video games, TV, politics, etc.), the pursuit of fruitless life goals, or the hollow echoes of worldly fame, all things outside the worship of God are destined to fade, wither, and die.

From this "futility" comes the "darkened heart" (vs. 21). The human heart is a vacuum; it cannot remain empty. It must be inhabited either by the Holy Spirit and the things of God, or by the darkness of the world. And the two cannot reside together. When a person turns away from the glory of God, this creates a void in the heart, leading to "futile" pursuits. And as the world is a dark place, full of sin, such "futile" pursuits predictably lead to darkness. This darkness permeates the skin and digs itself into the very center of the heart. The very organ created to perceive God, becomes "darkened" instead. Thus, there is an inevitable progression: From a lack of gratitude, to "futile thinking" , to a "darkened heart."

The rest of the chapter details the progression of humanity in general from "futile thinking" to a completely "darkened heart." This progression comes in three stages. Each stage consists of an exchange of the godly for the ungodly, and then a response by God to this exchange. The response by God, in each case, is an abandonment ... just an abandonment. As William Plumer pointed out: "It is a horrible thing to be given up or given over by God. From His throne never proceeds a more dismal sentence than this: 'Let him alone.'" Just this abandonment by God sets humanity onto a downward spiral into an abyss that only a supernatural salvation could reverse.

The First Descent: The Exchange of Majesty for the Mortal (Vss. 22-24)

²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

The first exchange involved replacing God with the human-made: "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles" (vs. 22). Here is the great irony of the human condition: the more a person prides himself on his autonomous reason, the more he sinks into the depths of stupidity. It is a self-deification of the most pathetic sort, when the creature, in a fit of arrogant insanity, believes he can fashion a better god than the one who spoke the stars into existence.

And note: Idolatry is not merely the bowing before wooden totems or stone statues; it is also the subtle and sinister act of mental sculpture. Though rarely does anyone, any longer, fashion a god out of oak or marble, yet people create gods in their own minds -- deities of extreme liberality who approve of every vice, or divinities who provide an easy salvation through thinking good thoughts or wearing crystals, or gods of hatred and vindictiveness who bless the bloodthirstiness of their worshippers. In doing so, they reject the True and Living God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures and instead worship the reflection of their own desires. This is a catastrophic "exchange" : the Immortal for the mortal, the Eternal for the ephemeral, the Glory of Heaven for the grime of earth.

This exchange can also manifest in modern times through the elevating of bank accounts, careers, and human relationships to the status of a "Rock" or foundation. When a person's ultimate happiness is wrapped up in his possessions, and he cannot pray with the Psalmist, "Apart from you, Lord , I have no good thing" (Ps. 16:2), this can be considered a modern-day idolatry. If the loss of a job or the failing of a bank results in the end of the world for the individual, then that job or that bank has become his god. To create one's own god in this day, neither wood, nor stone, nor marble are required. One just need say, "I get my satisfaction, my fulfillment, and my meaning from this thing." Yet, any such human-formed deity is sawdust in a storm: unable to form any sure foundation.

God's punishment for such idolatry is of a most terrifying and unique nature. God does not always hurl the fire and brimstone of Sodom, nor the waters of the Deluge; rather, His most common and crushing judgment is to simply step aside. "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another" (vs. 24). God "gave them over." This is the dismal sentence of which Plumer wrote: " Let him alone." It is the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit's restraining influence, the pulling back of the divine hand that keeps the world from becoming a literal hell of its own making. God often punishes the sins of humans with the sins of humans; He allows the consequences of rebellion to become the very chains of the rebel. The desires of the heart, once meant to be directed toward the Creator, become a raging fire that consumes the body and soul alike.

In this first cycle of exchange then abandonment , the focus is upon the "degrading of the body" (vs. 24). Humans, created in the very image of God, possess a dignity that elevates them above the beasts of the field. Yet, through sexual impurity and the chasing of animal passions, they forfeit this dignity and becomes brutes. When speaking to the Corinthians about the seriousness of sexual sin, Paul taught them: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies" (1 Cor. 6:19-20). To sin sexually is to sin against one's own body, to mar the sanctuary, and to trample upon the design of the Architect of life. We were made in God's image, so God desires that we maintain our human dignity, and steer clear of sexual sin.

The Second Descent: The Exchange of Truth for the Lie (vss. 25-27)

²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator -- who is forever praised. Amen.

The second cycle of this downward spiral parallels the first but descends into deeper waters of corruption. The exchange in this cycle is truth for a lie: "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator -- who is forever praised. Amen" (vs. 25). Notice the escalation: "futile thinking" (vs. 21) has now matured into a full "exchange of truth for a lie." This is not a mere intellectual error, but a moral choice to prefer the falsehood of autonomy over the truth of divine sovereignty.

The result of this exchange is a further abandonment by God: "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error" (vs. 26-27). This time, the abandonment by God leads to "shameful lusts" that defy the very order of nature. The Apostle speaks clearly of those who abandon "natural relations" for that which is "unnatural" -- specifically identifying the sexual relations of women with women, and men with men. The participants of these acts are described as being "inflamed with lust," a vivid imagery of a fire that burns but does not warm, a heat that destroys rather than vivifies.

In the context of the Greco-Roman world, these acts were often intertwined with the temple rituals of pagan gods, showing the inextricable link between false worship and moral decay. In the original Greek of verses 26 and 27, Paul used biological terms, translated as "men" and "women" in the NIV (which is quoted above), which might better be translated as "male" and "female." In doing so, Paul underscores the animal-like degradation occurring in these temple rituals. The practicers of these rituals can no longer rightly be termed "men" and "women," but rather are appropriately devolved to the animal terms of "males" and "females." We are subtly reminded, just by the language used, that we humans are called to act with the dignity of those who were originally made in the image of God, not with the behavior of lower animals. Certainly, we Christians are not to be controlled by such animal passions. Peter spoke about this, in 2 Peter 1:3-4: "God's divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." As Peter stated, we who "participate in the divine nature" should have escaped "the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

In verses 26 and 27, back in Romans 1, the Apostle's language is particularly pointed. He speaks of women "exchanging natural sexual relations for unnatural ones," and men likewise "abandoning natural relations with women " to be "inflamed with lust for one another. " This abandonment is described as a "shameful act" that carries with it a "due penalty." This penalty is not necessarily a future judgment alone, but a present reality that the partakers "received in themselves" as a result of their sins. This "due penalty" can be understood as the internal erosion of the moral sense, and the physical and psychological consequences that follow the rejection of God's design for human sexuality. As Peter taught in the passage cited above, when the "divine power" that gives us everything we need for a godly life is rejected, the soul is left to the "corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

In the plain reading of this text in Romans 1, there is a clear prohibition of the homosexual sex act, as there is in a number of other places in the Bible (see Lev. 18:22, Lev. 20:13, 1 Cor. 6:9, and 1 Tim. 1:10). The homosexual sex act is a sin, as are many other sins related to sex. In fact, sex outside of marriage in any form is a sin, according to the word and commandment of God. Any true student of God's word must acknowledge that. However, although the homosexual sex act is but one of many sexual sins that are commonly practiced in today's society, it seems that many Christians over-emphasize the sins related to homosexuality (over and above other sins), even to the point of being tempted to withhold the preaching of the Gospel to those who practice homosexuality. This is wrong. Homosexuality is not an unforgivable sin. Everyone needs the Gospel, and it is the duty of Christians to spread the word of the forgiveness available through Christ to everyone, without regard to the particular sins that they have committed, or are committing.

None of us were sinless when we heard the Gospel and accepted Christ; therefore, we should not expect others to be sinless before they are given the opportunity to hear about the salvation offered through Christ. We should welcome any and all sinners into the sanctuary to hear the preaching of the Gospel. We must not require that listeners already be sanctified before being allowed to enter the doors at a church service. Justification precedes sanctification. We must not bar any from hearing the Gospel, nor expect perfection before justification. And true sanctification is impossible without the gift of the Holy Spirit. All sinners should feel welcome to join together with those who are in Christ to hear the preaching of the Gospel, in order that they have the opportunity to respond to the message of the Gospel and receive the salvation offered through Christ. At that point, the process of their sanctification will begin, as they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Note, the acceptance of the salvation offered through Christ is but the first step in a long process of sanctification. We must err on the side of grace and patience with regard to sinners who are embarking on the adventure of a new life in Christ, giving the Holy Spirit time to do His work in their lives.

The Third Descent: The Exchange of Knowledge for Willful Ignorance (vs. 28-32)

The final cycle of descent has human sin reaching its lowest point: "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done" (vs. 28). This is the most profound level of abandonment. In the previous cycles, God gave them over to "sinful desires" and "shameful lusts," but here He gives them over to a "depraved mind." This is an apt judgment, for through choice the sinners "did not think it worthwhile to retain a knowledge of God" within their minds. The very instrument of judgment and discernment -- the mind -- is itself corrupted, so that the sinner can no longer even recognize the depths of his own ruin.

From this fountain of a "depraved mind" flows a torrent of all varieties of sin, which permeate every level of human interaction. The Apostle provides an inventory of various sins that covers the wide range of human immorality: "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 have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy" (vss. 29-32). This is a list that should cause every soul to tremble, for who among us can claim to be free from the stain of sin catalogued in this inventory? Paul's goal is to convince every single reader -- whether he be a pagan in the street or a Pharisee in the temple -- that he is a sinner in need of the salvation offered only in Christ.

The list provided in verses 29 through 31 represents a society where the restraint of God has been removed, allowing humans to follow the dictates of their fallen nature to their logical and lethal conclusions. This is a picture of the world as a whole, a world where sin is not an occasional lapse but a state of being.

Table: The Catalog of Human Sin in Romans 1:29-31

Grouping of Sins	Specific Sins Listed	The Underlying Root
*General Wickedness*	Wickedness, evil, depravity.	A mind that has rejected the knowledge of God.
*Covetousness and Malice*	Greed, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice.	A heart that seeks fulfillment in created things.
*Sins of the Tongue*	Gossips, slanderers, boastful, arrogant.	A prideful ego that seeks to exalt itself by lowering others.
*Rejection of Authority*	God-haters, insolent, disobedient to parents.	A rebellion against all divine and human order.
*Lack of Moral Character*	Senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.	A complete erosion of the image of God in the soul.

To this point, imagine, if you will, a vast congregation of the human race standing in a single hall. As this catalog of sins is read to the congregation, the command is given: "Let every person sit down when a sin is mentioned that he or she has committed recently." As the Apostle reads out the very first sin "Envy!" , an exceedingly great number immediately sit down in shame. Next, he reads "Murder!" For this sin, by the restraining power of the Holy Spirit, far fewer are forced to sit. Thank God for that. Next, he reads "Strife!" , and then "Deceit!" , and then "Malice!" Would any remain standing, after this common triad of immorality? And if so, as the Apostle continued through the list, surely not a single soul would be long upright.

This is a humbling game of conviction. Paul's goal, in this catalog of sins, is to strip away the formal and studied rationalization of our self-righteousness, and to leave us naked and trembling before the Law. He wants us to see our own reflection in this mirror of "depraved minds," to recognize that the downward spiral is not just a story of the ancient pagan, but also a story of our own "darkened hearts."

The Apostle concludes this section with a verse that pierces to the very marrow of the soul: "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" (vs. 32). This is the final stage of hardening. It is one thing to sin out of weakness or even out of a momentary passion; it is quite another to systematize sin, to celebrate it, and to demand that others approve of it.

This "approval" is the ultimate defiance of the "righteous decree" of God. It is the attempt to create a moral universe where God's law is not only ignored but is replaced by a code of extreme liberality that calls evil good and good evil. When a society reaches the point where it "approves of those who practice" what God has forbidden, it has reached the limit of its spiritual endurance.

Even in the depths of these consequences of a "depraved mind," Paul points out that that they "know God's righteous decree." This is the God-given knowledge established in verses 18-20, which is "plain to them because God has made it plain to them" (vs. 19). This knowledge is "clearly seen" and "understood from what has been made," so that all are "without excuse" (vs. 20). This internal witness ensures that sin is always a rebellion against the light, never a result of simple ignorance.

This "righteous decree" states that those who do such things "deserve death" (vs. 32). This is the "wrath of God being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness," spoken of in verse 18. The penalty is not an arbitrary rule but a just response to the rejection of the Author of Life. To turn away from the Source of Life is to choose the path of death.

However, lest we be swallowed by the gloom of this passage, let us remember that the Apostle Paul did not write Romans 1 in a vacuum. The purpose of this analysis of the descent of humans is to prepare the way for the theology of grace. The wrath of God is revealed so that the righteousness of God might be sought. The darkness is described so that the Light of the World might be welcomed, and that Christ may be seen as the only antidote to the depraved mind. His voice, which calmed the raging storm, can calm the explosion of sin in the human heart. His hand, which touched the leper and healed the blind, can restore the degraded body and enlighten the darkened heart.

The "righteous decree" of God is not just a sentence of death, but a call to life. It establishes the justice of God, which is the necessary foundation for the mercy of God . Without the realization that we "deserve death," we can never truly appreciate the gift of eternal life through Christ. The wrath of God is the shadow that makes the grace of God shine all the more brightly. Take heart. There is light. Paul is still building his case, leading us onward through this gloom-ridden tunnel, bringing us towards that bright light of the Gospel, the good news for all of us, which the Apostle will expound at the end of chapter 3.