Romans 1:24-32

                                                                     Romans 1:24-32

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 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. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Science claims that man had evolved over long periods of time from lower life forms.  This passaged demonstrates that man has devolved spiritually.  The thoughts and actions of man have not been improving but have been growing worse.  Man has been rebellious against God and is constantly getting further away from God.  This passage describes man’s spiritual decline.

 

SIN IS BASED IN IDOLATRY: All sin can be traced back to a basic worship disorder.  When we fail to worship God, we will inevitably worship something else because we are created to worship.  Creation points us to God but was never meant to be god.  When we worship the creation in place of the Creator, we open ourselves up to all kinds of errors and sinful lusts, behaviors, and desires.  When the affections of our hearts are placed upon anything or anyone besides God, we are being idolatrous. 

 

SIN BECOMES IMPURITY: The sin of homosexuality is described in this passage and going against nature.  Since, by nature, we were created to worship God, when we fail to do so, we open ourselves up to doing other things that are not according to the nature God created us to experience.  Once the line of idolatry is crossed, and the affections of our hearts are dysfunctional, they will lead to dysfunctional actions.  Our actions are tied to our affections.  There is no way we will live in purity if our heart is given to idolatry. 

 

SIN BROADENS TO IMMORALITY: If there is one thing we are creative about, it is sinning.  There are basically limitless iterations to our sinfulness.  This list of sinful activities in this list ranges from common human practice to homicide.  They are all simply a demonstration of man’s spiral down the path of “devolution.”  Humans are not getting better and better.  We go deeper and deeper into sin and consider it normal or even virtuous.  The shameful becomes, lawful and then it begins to be considered normal or even admirable.  When we refuse to admire God, we are doomed to admire sin, death, and the idols of our hearts.

 

APPLICATION: Set our affections on God alone.  Watch for our tendencies to worship idols in the place of God.  If our actions are not pleasing to God, check to see where we are placing our highest values and virtues.  Take time to admire God, speak well of Him, praise Him, and worship Him.