“Humanity Unhinged”
(Romans 1:24-32)
Series: Not Guilty
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson, KY
(4-19-09) (AM)
- Take God’s Word and open to Romans, chapter 1.
We’re returning this morning to our study of the Book of Romans, finishing chapter one. Paul is writing this letter in AD 57 and, at this point in our study, is telling us why all of humanity needs the Gospel. Chapter one teaches that God reveals Himself in nature, but humankind naturally suppresses the truth, or holds down the truth of God and His existence.
I gave you the illustration of a guy driving down the road and he hears a knocking under his hood and sees a gauge telling him to check his engine, but rather than listening to the engine or looking at the gauge, he turns the radio up, ignores the gauge, and “tunes-out” the engine. His engine is letting him know it is there and expects attention, but the man suppresses the truth, tunes-out the truth and carries on. Similarly, Paul is teaching here that God is making Himself known to us through the sights and sounds of creation, but man naturally suppresses the truth of God’s existence, holds down the truth of God, rather than admitting God is there and giving Him the glory and attention that He deserves. Apart from God’s grace, man naturally rejects God.
Now we read what God does in response to our naturally rejecting the truth of God. What is God’s response to humanity’s rejection of Him? Let’s read about it beginning in verse 24 and, as I read, listen for the phrase that occurs three times, God “gave them up” or “gave them over.”
- Stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
- Pray.
What would it be like if God just left us alone? What would it be like if God just let us get what we want and just left us to ourselves? Have you ever wondered about that?
These verses give us the answer. Paul tells us what happens when God withdraws the restraining gift of His grace to a people who reject Him. God “gives them up” to the desires of their heart. He leaves them alone and lets their desires take them where they will. Did you notice that phrase that occurs three times? Verse 24, God “gave them up,” verse 26, God “Gave them up,” and verse 28, God “gave them over,” same thing. In response to man’s rejection of God, in response to man’s “tuning-out” God, God leaves man alone and lets man get what he wants—and the results are devastating.
Humanity—unhinged—leads to all kinds of sinfulness and moral corruption. This is why no less a person than Oscar Wilde said, “When the gods want to punish us they answer our prayers.” Even he understood that often “when we get what we want we don’t want what we get.”
So the point of application for us this morning is to not “tune-out” God, but to “tune Him in,” to worship Him, to love Him, to adore Him, and to acknowledge the truth that He is glorious and to desire Him above all things. So I want to take these three divisions of the text and demonstrate how they teach that we’re to love God and give Him the attention He deserves so that we avoid the devastating results of His leaving us to ourselves. First:
I. Love God and be free of Idolatry (24-25)
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
The word “therefore” is in response to man’s rejection of God, His tuning-out the sights and sounds of God. The previous verse, verse 23, introduces the matter of idolatry. Man, left to Himself, “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
Apart from the grace of God mankind naturally slides into idolatry. He rejects God and worships the things that take place of God. In response—verse 24–“God gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.” That is, God allows man to follow the strongest desires of his heart, desires that lead to idolatry:
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Verse 25 teaches that, apart from God’s intervening and restraining grace, every one of us naturally slides into idolatry. Paul says we “exchange the truth of God for the lie.” That is, rather than loving God supremely we love other things in place of Him. We settle for cheap, substitutes of the glorious God. That’s what he means when he says we worship and serve the creature rather than the creator. We worship anything other than the supreme creator who is forever praised.
We hear the word idol and we think of some crude, wooden carving of a face, or maybe a stone in the shape of some strange figure, something archaeologists might dig up from the ground. That is one kind of idol, but idolatry takes many forms.
The key to identifying idolatry is a phrase in verse 24. Paul writes that God gave them up to uncleanness, “in the lusts of their hearts.” Idolatry occurs when anything other than God is the strongest desire of our hearts. See God says we’re to love Him with all of our hearts, with all of our strength, with all of our mind. He alone is supremely and infinitely glorious and deserving of endless praise, so when we fail to love Him and adore Him above all things we slide into idolatry.
The irony here is that God judges our rejection of Him by giving us over to the natural desires of our hearts. The worst thing we could do is follow the natural desires of our hearts because our hearts are fallen and sinful. This is why even professing Christians must continually guard against idolatry. We must love God and be free of idolatry. Martin Luther said, “Whatever your heart clings to and relies on is your god.”
Do you know your idols? Maturing, humble Christians know their idols. They are not so foolish as to say, “Well, I don’t have any idols. I love God.” Really? Do you always, consistently, love God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Do you really trust Him with all your heart?
See then how an investment portfolio can become an idol. See how financial worry and anxiety can hold a believer in bondage when he or she fails to trust God to meet his or her needs. See the key is in identifying what is the strongest desire of one’s heart.
When the strongest desire of our heart is financial security, we have slid into idolatry. When the strongest desire of our heart is success at work, we have slid into idolatry. When the strongest desire of our heart is to be healthy, we have slid into idolatry. When the strongest desire of our heart is an attractive woman or man, we have slid into idolatry. When the strongest desire of our heart is to spend every day in as much amusement, recreation and gaming as we can, then we have slid into idolatry. Stop identifying idolatry as a sin found only in unbelievers and know your idols! Be honest and admit that you are given to idols because idols do not judge.
You can identify your idols during bad times. People fall away from church attendance because of idolatry. They pursued other things that became idols—job advancement, success, money, sport, recreation, relationships—all is going well and then the bottom falls out. These same people—ourselves included—now come back to church, back to the place where they know they will find help. Why? Because we don’t usually see our idols during good times. The irony about idolatry is that the more we worship idols, the more we become like them. We become deaf, dumb, and hardened like idols of wood and stone. We don’t even realize our idolatry.
What do you love supremely, far and away more than anything else? Before you say, “God,” make sure it’s true. Your life will indicate whether it’s true. The way you spend your Sundays will indicate whether it’s true. The way you spend every day will indicate whether it’s true. What do you love supremely? Be honest. How would you answer that? What I love more than anything else—and my life backs it up—is, (what?). First thing out of your mouth…my spouse, my family, success, control over my money, control over my health, peaceful life, trouble-free living, ease, recognition in my job, baseball, basketball, church activity? Yes even religious activity itself qualifies as idolatry if placed above the love of God with all of our hearts. To quote Luther again, “Whatever your heart clings to and relies on is your god.”
Remember that when God says, “Don’t,” He means, “Don’t hurt yourself.” God loves you and He wants you to be free. Love God and be free of idolatry.
William Cowper, the great hymn-writer, wrote:
“The dearest idol I have known,
whate’er that idol be,
help me to tear it from Thy throne,
and worship only Thee.”
II. Love God and be free of Immorality (26-27)
The immorality Paul mentions here in verses 26-27 is sexual immorality, namely that of homosexuality, although I think heterosexual immorality may be included in the phrase “vile passions.” Here is another way in which—in response to humanity’s rejection of God—He gives them over to their strongest desires.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
Paul is saying that homosexuality, something God calls an “abomination,” in Leviticus 18, an “abomination,” the strongest word used to describe that which God hates, is the result of men and women left to their strongest desires. Homosexuality is mentioned here as one of the most striking and solemn evidences of humanity unhinged.
And note that lesbianism is mentioned first to stress the severity of the moral collapse. Women tend to be listed after men in discussions of sexual immorality and corruption, but they are mentioned first here to stress just how bad it is when God leaves us to the strongest desires of our sinful, fallen hearts.
When we dig deeper into these verses next Sunday night, I want to address related questions to homosexuality such as, “Is homosexuality genetic?” or, “Can a person be born with a homosexual orientation?” Or, “Is AIDS evidence that God is judging the homosexual community?” My answers may surprise you, but we’ll deal with that next Sunday evening.
For now, I want you to see all of this in the context of man’s rejection of God. When we reject God and when we exchange the truth of God for the lie, not allowing God first place in our lives but settling for cheap substitutes of God, then we slide into idolatry and immorality, including the vile passions of heterosexual immorality and homosexual immorality.
I’ve always wondered why Paul singles-out homosexuality here, other than the fact that it is considered a particularly grievous sin, again something God calls an “abomination” in Leviticus 18.
In my study this week I was reminded of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 5. Don’t turn there just now, but do you remember that in Ephesians 5 Paul teaches us that the greatest expression of the love of Christ for His church is expressed in Christian marriage. He says husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. And when you think of it, if Christian marriage is the greatest expression of love of God and love for God, then homosexuality is the greatest expression of what it means to forsake that love, exchanging the truth of God for the lie and worshiping and serving the creature—man—rather than the Creator—God.
Before we move on, I do want to say that homosexuality—like any other sin—is a sin from which men and women can recover. God’s grace is so great and so abundant and so all-encompassing, that it can change our lives, no matter what our sin. Just read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 later and see if this isn’t so!
When man rejects God and exchanges the truth of God for the lie, settling for cheap, temporary substitutes of God, God gives them over to idolatry and immorality. So our application is love God and be free of idolatry. Secondly, love God and be free of immorality. Number three:
III. Love God and be free of Impurity (28-32)
The word “impurity” here comes from verses 28. Look there:
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
The word “debased” there means “impure.” It describes the rejection of a metal that is not pure. Because man did not acknowledge God, but rather chose to reject God, God chooses to reject them. He does so by giving them over to their impure minds. He gives them over to their strongest desires of heart and mind. And the result is that man does “those things which are not fitting.” This has already been set up with the sin of sexual immorality, but Paul continues with a list of some 20 sins just in case some of us would say, “Well, I’ve never committed sexual immorality.” Paul is like, “Well, here are some other sins of which you may be guilty.” Verse 29 and following:
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality (mentioned previously), wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving (not in some translations), unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
That last verse is telling. It hints at something Paul will develop later in chapter 2. God reveals Himself to us not only in creation, but in our conscience. Deep down inside us we “know the righteous judgment of God.” We have a built-in sense of right and wrong. Paul says that we are all without excuse because God has made Himself known to us in both creation and in our conscience, but we choose to follow our own way rather than to follow Him.
So Paul says in verse 32 that mankind knows the righteous judgment of God, he knows that those who do all these terrible things in the preceding verses deserve death, but what is man’s response? Last part of verse 32: he “not only does the same, but also approves of those who practice them.” He is guilty of doing those sins and applauding those sins.
Conclusion:
So these verses teach what happens when God leaves us alone, when He lets us follow the desires of our hearts. When God removes His restraining grace and allows us to follow the desires of our hearts, we slide into idolatry, immorality, and impurity. But in God’s “giving us up” or “giving us over” to our sins, God is not abandoning us. He is allowing us to see what life is like without Him. He is graciously allowing us to plunge into the darkness that we might more clearly see the Light that penetrates that darkness.
Of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prophet Isaiah says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined (Isaiah 9:2).” As the Gospel of John says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:4-5).”
- Stand for prayer.
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