God Gave Them Up

MARCH 15, 2023 STUDY NOTES ROMANS 1:24-27 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES GOD GAVE THEM UP INTRODUCTION What we will find in these verses is nothing more than the natural consequences of sin The results of suppressing the truths of God and rejecting God’s revelation of Himself The results of seeking idols instead of worshiping the One and Only True God But there is more written here than the natural course of sin Three times we find, “God gave them up”: God gave them up to uncleanness (vs.24) God gave them up unto vile affections (vs.26) God gave them over to a reprobate mind (vs.28) The Greek is exactly the same in all three verses Sinful man is telling God to leave him alone, let me live my life like I want to live it So, God says, “Okay, go ahead and do whatever you want to do” America is making the same request of God today America is aware of what God says about the list of sins that we find in this passage America knows what the true Church of today stands for America knows the stand that a sincere Christian will take in regard to sin and evil And that is why American government is writing laws that support the sins listed here And that is why Christians must study the political candidates and prepare to go to the polls Go and vote for those who at least appear to have Christian principles It is plain with some candidates that they stand against the teachings of God’s Word It is time to listen to the candidates, it is time to pray about your vote for government leadership And pray that God has not already given America over to the consequences of her sins GIVEN TO FORNICATION--Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: “Wherefore”-Based upon the previous truths of rejecting God’s revelation and suppressing the truth of God Based upon refusing to glorify and worship God as God Based upon refusing to be thankful toward God’s everyday goodness toward us And because when man thought that he was wise and became a fool doing that which was foolish Making man-like idols out of God’s creation to worship instead of worshiping the Creator All of which is the basis of God’s justifiable decision now presented So based upon the previous we find the following, “God also gave them up” This is not God’s rejection of man, meaning that man no longer has a chance with God It does not mean that God will no longer give sinful man the opportunity to repent It does not say that God gave them up period, but “God gave them up to” God handed them over “to” the consequences of sin and rebellion against Him God has allowed sinful man “to” go on and live his desired sinful life Which means that God has also allowed man “to” experience the natural consequences of sin When man refuses to let God have His way, God allows man “to” go his own way God is allowing man “to” live out his own wicked will It is not that God gave man the full control over his own life But God gave man over “to” the sin that controls the life of sinful man The darkness of sin gets darker, the hole that sin digs gets deeper, and Hell gets hotter The story of Jonah is a good example and gives us an illustration of what Paul is teaching God spoke to Jonah, Jon 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Jonah heard what God said, Jon 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But we see Jonah’s selfish desire, Jon 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. Jonah traveled the path of disobedience, he “went down to Joppa” That was just the beginning of Jonah’s downward path, he went “down” to Joppa He went “down” into the ship, he went “down” into the sea, he went “down” into the belly of the fish And eventually he went “down” upon his face before God On Jonah’s downward path he ran into a storm, the path of sin will always run into a storm That is exactly what Paul is telling us, God has allowed man to run into the storms of sin In Godliness, God gives man the freedom to live the truth of God’s Word In ungodliness, God gives man the freedom to live the lie of Satan Satan’s lies always lead “to uncleanness” “Uncleanness” refers to any unnatural pollution of life, to a state of moral corruption It is used in reference to “sexual sin,” 2Co 12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. It is used in a list of “sexual immorality,” Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, It is listed among “sexual sins” which are also identified with idolatry, Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Paul also uses the word “uncleanness” as referring to an impure sexual lifestyle God provided for a pure sexual lifestyle through a faithful marriage relationship Satan provides for uncleanness “through the lusts” of sinful flesh The word “lusts” speaks of a strong desire and is used in reference to a sensual desire A desire that is contrary to the will of God and is that which displeases God The word translated “lusts” is found within the context of Paul’s warning against fornication It is translated “concupiscence,” 1Th 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: The thought is an “uncontrollable desire,” an overpowering urge, an out of control craving And is referring to a carnal desire or a sexual desire that is out of control The source of the sinful desire is “of their own hearts” (Romans 1:24) Those strong sexual desires come from one’s own heart The Bible uses the “heart” to cover the whole range of activities that go on in our life Referring to our thinking, our understanding, and the decisions we make Jesus said, sin and evil come forth from the heart, Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: God does not force Himself upon man, God has allowed man the freedom of choice Man thinks that without God in his life he is a free individual Man can set his heart upon any sin that he chooses But the freedom to sin is not the freedom to live, the evidence can be seen in a life of sin Sinful addiction is a destruction of life, taking away the joy of living Sinful addiction is rampant in so many areas of life today And no more so than in-the area of sexual immorality Paul now explains how degrading and how destructive sexual sins can be to life “To dishonor their own bodies between themselves” “To dishonor” the body is to “degrade” the body, which can be done in many different ways The degrading lifestyle of a man and a woman is witnessed in many ways today But the degrading of the body in this passage has to do with sexual immorality Using the body in a way which is contrary to the purposes of God for a human Both the body and soul are dishonored and both male and female are degraded All kinds of sexual immorality are now an accepted lifestyle in American society A live together relationship instead of a marriage relationship, which is a lack of commitment And when married, living an adulterous lifestyle, which is often accepted by couples today All of which is supported by movies and T.V. shows which present an open sexual lifestyle Sex parties are popular among the youth of today which will degrade them for life GIVEN TO IDOLATRY--Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. “Who” is referring to those identified in verse 24 They are the ones of such character as described they are the ones who “changed” The word “changed” means to convert from one state to another, to exchange It was of their nature to exchange the “truth of God” for a lie What else could you expect from their sinful way of life? First of all, “the truth of God” is that “God is Truth” Because God is truth, His Word is Truth, Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. The truth of all things pertaining to life comes from God through Jesus and His Word The truth of life upon this earth is to receive life through Jesus Christ, Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The Thessalonians turned from idols to “serve the living and true God,” 1Th 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; But sinful man who has not accepted the truth of God has accepted “a lie” Paul said sinful man turned the “Truth of God” “into a lie” That lie is of Satan, who is the father of lies, Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. It is the same lie that Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden, Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Satan said, “You shall be as God” The lie of Satan is that man does not need God and does not need to obey God So, man can become his own god or make his own god to be whatever he wants God to be The sinful world will continue to believe the lie of Satan until the return of Christ The lie of all lies will be that of the “Antichrist,” 2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, Sinful man will still refuse to receive “the love of the truth,” 2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Paul has told us that today, “God gave them up,” but look at what he says about the day of Antichrist, 2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: Which will result in their damnation, 2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Throughout the ages fallen man has worshipped idols and one day they will worship Antichrist Paul describes the history of fallen man-“And worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” Paul describes idolatry which is not limited to the worship of false images Idolatry is the worship of anyone or anything other than the One and Only True God Idolatry is the heart of man committed to and serving anything other than God Idolatry is often found in the list of sins of the human nature, 1Pe 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: “Abominable” means that which is forbidden by law? It does not refer to that which social law forbids, but it refers to that which is forbidden by God Governmental laws now allow many things that God’s law forbids The laws of the land now allow things that are contrary to God’s Word Social law sanctions and permits many things that God’s law forbids Compare the past with today, the way that the law has changed, laws now accepting sinful ways What sins do we now see made public which were at one time hidden in the darkness? Evil desires have overpowered the inward sense of that which is right The sinful desires of the flesh have perverted the thinking of man Even though the law provides for it and permits it, even though society accepts it God says it is idolatry, idolatry is the worship of any god Today it is the worship of many gods, which is the way of religion today “Idolatry” is the very thing that is leading the world down the religious path of today “Idolatry” will prepare the way for the world to accept the worship of the coming “Antichrist” There are many warnings in Scripture regarding idolatry, 1Co 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. Scripture identifies one of the most common sins of our day with idolatry, which is sexual sin, 1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, The current American lifestyle of many today is an example of Paul’s description, “and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” Paul tells us that the Creator is to be worshiped forever, “who is blessed forever. Amen” In the-midst of all that was being said about ungodly sexual sins and idolatry Paul had to stop and say a word of praise unto God, God must always be praised, Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Verse 25 closes with “Amen,” so let it be, so let it always be, God must be praised for all things forever WOMEN GIVEN TO SEXUAL PERVERSION--Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: “For this cause,” the reason is that man rejected the truth of God And made his own false gods in order to worship the creature rather than the Creator Which is the reason “God gave them up unto vile affections” “Vile” is that which is of a dishonorable nature, that which is a disgrace Describing the sexual lust that will dishonor those who indulge in them It describes the most degrading passion that can come forth out of the human heart Those passions of disgrace are first applied to females, “for even their women” Females “did change the natural use” They are females who deliberately exchanged a natural relationship The natural relationship for a female is a marriage relationship with a male That is the natural relationship that has been established by God But they changed “the natural use into that which is against nature” That “which is against nature” is unnatural, they use their body in an unnatural way Sexual perversion and homosexuality are not natural even of a fallen sin nature Homosexuality is against the laws of nature There is a dignity and purity of the human body which homosexuals do not honor MEN GIVEN TO SEXUAL PERVERSION--Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. “And likewise,” just like the women, “also the men” Males, the Greek word which distinguishes a male from a female, they were created to be men Referring to men who forsake a marriage relationship with a woman, which is a natural relationship “Leaving the natural use of the woman” It is natural for males and females to fall in love and marry one another A sexual relationship between two females or two males is not natural, it is not even animal-like Paul speaks of those men who put aside the natural use of the female And desire an unnatural use of another male Paul says they “burned in their lust one toward another” Men who have a burning desire for one another, inflamed with a sexual lust, a shameful raging lust “Men with men working that which is unseemly” (Shameful) A sexual act between two men is a deformity and obscenity at its worst Men who have committed indecent acts with other men will be judged And there is a penalty that will be paid, “and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet” There will be a specific judgment of God upon the sin itself The punishment is within the committing of the sin itself God punishes by letting them do what they want to do The penalty will be “received in themselves” There is a natural result of their sin which will pay them back for what they have done “AIDS” and other sexual diseases will be the consequences of their sexual acts Unnatural sins will experience unnatural consequences CONCLUSION Homosexuals interpret these verses to read that they were naturally born to be a homosexual They claim that their homosexual acts are not unnatural ones They believe that being a natural born homosexual they are not committing sin No one is born a bank robber, a car thief, or a murderer, and no one is born a homosexual Each one of the above come by matter of personal decision, they choose to do what they do It is true that all are born of the sin nature, Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. It is natural for sinful man to turn from God’s way of righteousness, Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: It is not natural for a male or female to turn from their God-given nature of being a man or a woman The Bible presents only one natural sexual relationship, the marriage of a man and a woman Throughout all of creation there was no help-mate found for Adam, Gen 2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. God had a plan for the first man created, Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; The God-given helpmate for man was a woman, Gen 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. Adam who named all of God’s creatures was smart enough to know what God had given him, Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. It is a man and a woman that are to be united into a “one flesh” relationship, Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. What God planned for a man and a woman relationship is impossible for a man and a man What God planned for a man and a woman relationship is impossible for a woman and a woman Only a male and a female relationship can fulfill the plan of God, Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.